Ending
by en-lumine
Summary: Lara and Kurtis joined to eradicate Eckhardt. Together. But would Lara be able to prove herelf innocent in the ruthless world? Chapter 13 UP! PLEASE read and review!
1. Prologue

**Just came up with this idea. Really wanted to write a story about it. Lara and Kurtis teamed up in Prague and went on after the fifth Obscura painting together. Readers, sequel to 'Return of Darkness' will take a little more time. Until that, enjoy this. Review as well.**

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**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Prologue**

Kurtis Trent ran to pull a huge lever after his small battle with the Proto Nephilim. To begin with, he had come behind that Croft woman, who turned the power of the main security system off. 'Stupid woman!' he thought to himself. Also, he didn't sign for coming and fighting this mutant baboon, but to turn the power back on. Sometimes, when he thought about her, he had a strange feeling, as if attracted to her. No way that was planned with what he did at the Louvre with her. But yes, life _is_ full of surprises. His task completed, unplanned task, defeating the Proto, he walked back towards the air lock that kept the woman a prisoner. 'Really,' he thought to himself, 'I have iritated that woman a lot since I saw her in Paris,' and chuckled lightly. His trusty Boran X in hand as a caution if any more mutants turned up, he finally saw the airlock, situated above a ladder protected by gun terrets. He pushed the button and the doors opened with a little gas. He moved in, 'Empty!' he thought to himself.

THUD! He turned around to see the cause of the sound, and was, surprisingly, kicked by the woman in his hand which caused to let his pistol fly away from him. As if that was not enough, she aimed her Scorpian X at his forehead and as if realizing his end, he closed his deep blue eyes. 'Goodbye Trent, pleasant dreams,' his final thought.

BANG! 'Huh, what? No pain!' His eyes fluttered open and he saw the beutiful woman staring at something behind him. He turned around and saw that spiked mutant from the Maximum Containment Area. Now he owed her one.

"Thanks," he calmly responded to her action.

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**Hope you like it. Next chapter will be up soon.**


	2. Teamed up

**Got bored really, so I just typed this in and waited for reviews. Here we go...**

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**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 1: Teamed up**

She moved forward. "Glad you came back to save me, stranger," she said to him. 'Me? Stranger? Oh please,' Kurtis thought.

"Name's Kurtis." And he put forward his hand expecting a shake hand.

She grabbed it. "Lara," and pushed him a bit so he connected with the wall of the airlock. "And this is business," she continued.

"I owe you one," he said with a smile.

"You owe me a painting," she responded.

"Sorry, that went AWOL at the Louvre."

'Glad you realized your mistake,' she thought. "So, what brings you here from Paris?" Her hand on his chest moved around slowly as she checked for any more weapons. At that time, she herself pushed her body forward so that it touched his back. He enjoyed every bit of it, but turned serious again. "Eckhardt," he replied. As she threw his chirugaii on the floor. "We have business only if one of us walks away from it, you?" he asked.

Lara grabbed his shoulder and made him face her, her pistol back where it was only a minute ago. "Personal reasons."

Kurtis, studying her look decided that it was time to spill. "Eckhardt plans to use all five Obscura painting to revive an ancient evil called the Sleeper, and rebreed the Nephilim race," he explained, "To do that, he collects alchemically transmuted elements from his murder victims' bodies."

'Point to be noted,' a voice inside the tomb raider's head spoke. "I've seen him at work as the Monstrum, with that glove!" The glove, of course! There was something in the glove that created the symbol on the wall when he killed Luddick. It was that thing all along.

"Eckhardt is the original Black Alchemist," he telepathically operated his chirugaii on the floor as it started spinning and rose behind Lara. "The paintings must be destroyed," he informed her, " and, to do that I need the Shard you picked up at the Louvre."

Lara took it out and observed its crystal appearance. Kurtis took out the one he had. Both the adventurers started circling round each other, as if fighters expecting a blow: Lara's pistol aimed at Kurtis and Kurtis' chirugaii spinning to life behind her. "There should be three Periapt Shards," she reminded him.

"Eckhardt has the last one. With all three shards combined, they can destroy him, permanently."

"Tell me about the Shards," she said with an eager look on her face. He complied.

"These are the weapons of the Lux Veritatis. Two of them were entrusted to my father," his brows furrowed and his voice dropped to a deep tone, "Eckhardt murdered him so he can get his hands on them."

"So Eckhardt went after your father and you want revenge?" she guessed. His spiky weapon went above her head and he caught it. "Justice!" he exclaimed.

"We should work together."

"You're trusting me?" he said with a smirk.

"If that's what you think. Here," and she threw his Shard back at him as he caught it. And asked her final question, "How can they be used to kill Eckhardt?"

"He must be stabbed with all three Shards, and that should destroy him," he turned the Shard to make it circle round his fingers and when saying 'stabbed' he stabbed the air with it.

"We'll split up. You need the third Shard so you can go after that. I'll find the last painting and destroy it," she decided.

"No, I don't think so. We shouldn't split up," he objected.

"Why not?"

"Because if we do, we'll have to go on separate paths."

"Is there any problem in that?" she inquired.

He ran his hand through his thick black hair. "Actually, yes. See, Eckhardt and his pals might be expecting us to do this: Split up. If we do, they'll attack one of us and the other won't know."

"So?" She folded her arms on her chest.

"Well like, we have the same goal, destroy Eckhardt. We should stick together so if anything does happen to one of us, the other will go after him. Or if one of us gets severely wounded, we'd obviously need help and we can help each other that way. You know what I mean, we both can act as one figure to destroy him."

"Okay, got it. I think we'll begin with the painting." She examined the engraving. He moved close to her so he can see too. "The paintings hidden in something called the Vault of Trophies. The entrance is underwater." She grabbed the bottom of his chin with two fingers and turned his face towards her. "No problem." He simply nodded and picked up his Boran X and followed her out of the air lock.

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"What!" She got the engraving and the map!" Pieter Van Eckhardt exclaimed angrily.

"Yes, she did. And worse, the male joined up with her. They won't separate ways," Karel continued for him.

"I don't think we should stop them. That damned vault has been stopping us for months. Let her do our work," he said whilst rubbing his hands together, smiling. "And then..." Eckhardt gave out a slow, evil laugh.

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**Ellethiel – Actually, this will be both Lara's and Kurtis'. Glad you like it.**

**Black Angel – Thanks.**

**AcidRush - Well yes, he DID irritate Lara and us too at the Louvre. Read please.**

**AKKON – Actually, I read it in Stella's walkthrough. She called the Proto 'mutant baboon'. Glad you like it.**

**Odd Little Turtle – I'm sorry but I finished Return of Darkness. I hope this'll make up for it.**

**Chain Of Memories – This is not the sequel: Just a part-time piece of work. But still keep reviewing.**

**Glad that's over. Really, it does feel nice to write down scenes from the game. Read and review please.**


	3. Aquatic Research Area

**Okay, people, I have completely forgotten this level (Aquatic Research Area). Since I don't have enough space on my ancient computer to install the game and play it (the third time) again through, I am using a walkthrough, and trying my very best to recall the level. Once again, my thanks.**

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**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 2: Aquatic Research Area**

"NO!" he shouted at Lara. She turned back with a questioning look on her face. "The ladder is protected by gun terrets below. You'll be toast if you go that way," Kurtis informed her. Muttering her thanks, she brushed by past him and dropped below from the walkway. Kurtis soon joined the raider.

"There's no other way, really, except for the drain pipe behind the gun terrets. Wait here," Lara said as her brown eyes spotted something. "I'll be back in a sec." She laid down on her abdomen and began to commando crawl. She manoeverd into a block hole, then stood up. The gun terrets couldn't find her as she was standing behind a number of huge boxes and she turned a valve. Almost seconds later, a gray gas floated in the air and the gun terrets completely lost sight of them. She signalled Kurtis to come forward. They both climbed the drain pipe, which surprisingly took their weight easily. Only about moments later, both the collegues were crouched on the floor, escaping from another terret. "Okay, my turn now, smarty pants... uh shorts," Kurtis said sarcastically. Lara growled at the comment.

Aiming with his pistol, he shot a few bullets at a pipe above the terret, which had a huge 'caution' sign on it. The bullets ricochetted and the pipe burst and debris crushed the terret. But the burst pipe released poisonous steam. "Avoid the steam," Lara advised him. They walked on the left side of the room and opened a door to a blue circular shaft. They silently climbed the ladder and followed a huge hall. The automatic doors opened at their approach. Lara lead the way to a small display panel. Everything was in red. "You said that you'll go and turn the power back on, Kurtis. It's still off," Lara coldly said to him.

"Well, I ran into the half Nephilim, something called the Screamer. If I hadn't finished it off, we'd been long dead."

"Reassuring," she muttered to herself. Kurtis walked up and joined her. "We'll have to turn it back on, only then we can move on to the Vault of Trophies," he said. She left the panel and observed the room. No doubt another mutant fish was swimming in the main tank. A small walkway separated the main tank from a little one. A broken window was present underwater. Her eye cught it. "Follow me," she said to him and dived in to water, to the broken window. Yes, surely it was a lever. Pulling it, she turned right with her partner at his heels. Moments later, they were swimming through flooded tunnels. They pulled up through the surface and panted. "You know what you're doing?" Kurtis asked anxiously.

"Restoring the power back. I really have a major hunch that what I am doing is right," she replied and climbed out of the pool. For her, Trent pushed the yellowish button and the adventurers walked out from the place. Lara checked the display panel again. "Oh, yes."

"What?" her so-called partner asked.

"The power has been restored, not fully enough, but still 50 is a good figure," she informed him. 'Now for the other half,' she thought.

"Maybe there," Kurtis pointed to a newly opened door, and without waiting for an answer, started leading the way. Shrugging, the raider followed. Upon entering a steamy room, directed by the door, they pushed a switch and the lift came up. Kurtis turned to face her, smirking. Lara threw a fake smile at him, then later grimaced and brushed past him to the lift.

The room below had a huge observation window, and what they'd been looking for: a lever to turn the rest of the power back on. Lara pulled it while Kurtis stared at the window. Silently, they walked back to the lift, climbed up and returned to the main room. The diplay panel showed that the power was completelty turned back on.

Maybe, the lights became brighter, or maybe, just now, Lara noticed a lever, a switch and then a ladder. She had to look at several directions for that. 'A puzzle!' her mind exclaimed. Without waiting for Kurtis, she raced up the stairs. "HEY, wait up!" he yelled at her and follwed her route. Looking up, he saw Lara pushing an empty chum bucket forward to a gray pad and push a button. The bucket came up to him. Seeing her signal, he used his telekinetic abilities to push the bucket sideways, above the trap door. Lara pulled a lever and some nice, juicy chum (A/N : According to Stella) filled it. "Try using your hands than your abilities, Kurtis..."

"Trent," he answered.

"I don't think I am strong enough to pull the bucket back here," she said to him. "Have the honor, please."

"Pleasure," he replied and pulled the bucket filled with chum back on to the gray pad and pushing it where Lara first saw it. When they returned back downstairs, he asked her, "What good is the chum bucket gonna do to us?"

"I don't know about you, but that gave me inner satisfaction," she smiled at his confused face. She continued to the other walkway, and checked for two levers she had to pull. All that time, Kurtis followed her without a sound. They exited through the opposite door and walked a short way till they came up to a few pipes. _'Strong enough to make it through, are you?'_

"What!" she turned back and saw Kurtis looking at her with a confused expression. "What?" he returned.

"Your voice!"

"What with my voice?"

"Didn't you say something now?"

"No."

"Sure?"

"Positive."

Then thinking of it as a mind trick, she started traversing the pipe to the left. Just as she was in the middle, she again heard it. _'BOO!'_

Lara's hand slipped the pipe and she began to fall till Kurtis grabbed her by her wrist. He easily managed to pull her up and her hands gripped the pipe tight. "Be careful, will you? You'd been killed if it -"

She turned to him. "You!"

"Me?" he simply answered.

_'HA!'_

"You are messing with my mind, aren't you?" she asked angrily as she recalled his mind tricks in the Louvre.

_'You can mess with mine too.'_

"SEE!"

"Well, I just talk telepathically. Anyone can do this. Try it."

It was a new thing, obviously. She gave it a shot. '_Umm... Kurtis, is this gonna work?'_

_'It is. I am just a call away.'_

She grinned then continued traversing.

In ten minutes, they were back at the main room. Really, they did not have to do much when they got up: open a few doors, kill a soldier and collect a few clips.

"Now we have to pull a few things in the water," she began.

"It'll devour us alive!" he objected as he layed emphasis on the mutant fish.

"Wanna risk it?"

"You mad!"

"Well, I'll need to use you as a bait."

"What?" he blurted out.

"Dive in, swim around climb up and I'll do the rest. Go now, we don't have much time."

"I am sorry, I ca-"

"NOW!" she almost impatiently yelled.

Muttering something against women, he dived in and swam round and round the place in circles. Meanwhile, Lara loaded her Viper SMG with new clips and talked to him.

_'You can come out now.'_

_'Finally.'_

He climbed out using a ladder, and Lara finished the mutant with the machine gun. Thick blood floated in the water. "Ugh!"

"Let's go," she instructed. Lara pulled the first lever and swam through a newly opened underwater door. They swam to a room and climbed out. Wetsuits hung from an opened wardrobe. She handed Kurtis a full length suit, and a half sleeved herself. "Sorry, but I need a private place to change," she said to him.

"Where will I go?"

"Well... Try the room in which the levers are labeled."

"Okay, then. See you-"

"-In a few," she finished for him, then pushed him in the water and changed. She put the her tank-top in her backpack, along with one leg holster. Lara only wore a leg holster and unusually didn't feel uncomfortable. She swung her backpack on her shoulders, buckled her belt, grabbed a loaded harpoon gun which lay there catching dust with two aqua lungs and raised the water level of the room. Then later, when the room was flooded, pulled another lever that revealed a trapdoor, or should we say, the entrance to the Vault of Trophies. Both the partners met in the room, Lara wading in the water and Kurtis performing a very non-graceful swam dive. Lara laughed.

"You looked more like a duck then a swan!" she joked.

"Oh well, I just don't have _your_ figure for that," he returned. The adventurers put on their aqua lungs and swam to the ancient Lux Veritatis vault.

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**Ellethiel – Well, thank you really, I hope you like this update too. **

**Chain Of Memories – Thanks, I just waited for reviews, I already had the previous chapter planned out. Read on.**

**AKKON – Yes, I used walkthroughs too. Yeah, it's been a decade since I played that game. I'll change it. Read on.**

**I liked writing the 'telepathy talking' scene. I know you'd be saying right now that why did I have to add this. Cause, it'll work out a lot later. True, Kurtis was silent as a lamb, but hey; Lara needed a break from his explanations. Hope you liked it. Read, enjoy and PLEASE review!**


	4. The Vault of Trophies

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Ending

Chapter 3: The Vault of Trophies

The colleagues swam up to a tunnel with spikes coming out from every direction, almost. As Lara's eyes scanned for any other route, Kurtis tugged her and made a way with his hand as if saying "Relax." He put forward his right hand, and immediately, the spikes froze in their positions, set after the set. It made their task extremely easy. They swam along a few tunnels till they came up to an air pocket. They climbed out and saw a dead end. Lara asked a question that had waited in her mind long enough. "How did you stop the spikes?"

"Oh the vault was made by someone from _my_ Order, and I was recognized," he took off his aqua-lung and plainly answered, but his trademark smirk escaped his lips, and his head slightly tilted. Lara sighed and jumped back into the cold water. Kurtis shrugged, put on his half empty lung on again and followed her. They again swam a few tunnels till the adventurers saw a breakable wall. Lara took honor, as the weird raiding feeling returned to her after a long time. Placing her feet on the wall, she kicked hard and performed a beautiful backward somersault. Kurtis was amazed by her grace. They swam into a room with statues of the Lux Veritatis, heroes of bygone days. In the middle lay a book open, and Lara and Kurtis read: "The brothers reunited to see the gates being thrown open." On the plaque were two initials; L and V. _'Lux Veritatis?'_ Lara thought to herself.

_'No, Limoux and Vasiley. C'mon."_ Lara astounded by the voice, followed Kurtis to a statue with the word 'Limoux' scraped into it. Lara pulled a lever behind him, and the knight moved forward. Kurtis signaled to her again and they went turned behind another statue. 'Vasiley' was scraped into this one. After pulling the lever, the knight moved forward as well. A blue light erupted from the statues' bodies and traveled through their swords, then fusing in together. The blinding light then went up to the ceiling and broke away the middle section of it; hence creating a path for the partners. Lara gasped, as they broke through the surface for air. Kurtis threw away his empty aqua-lung. After climbing out, Lara realized that they might not need these wetsuits after this. She closed her eyes and imagined stabbing Eckhardt with a wetsuit on, or even aiming at him with a harpoon gun. She silently laughed to herself. "We won't be needing these," she told Kurtis, with a pinch of softness in her tone.

"I know," he returned with calmness. He unbuckled his knapsack that he had put on above his wetsuit. Lara folded her arms on her chest.

"In front of me!" Lara exclaimed, watching his move.

"Mind going somewhere?" he asked, turning slightly pink.

"Not at all," Lara moved out of the small place and behind a large stalagmite. She was wearing her shorts beneath her wetsuit, so she put on her tank top after sliding down the wetsuit's upper part and took off her lower one to reveal dry shorts. She put on her socks and shoes, then strapped up her holsters round her legs. As she moved up towards her waist, a cold hand slid past hers, and the other followed. She gasped, this was way too familiar for her. The person's thumb brushed her abdomen, strapped the belt round her waist for her. All that time, she was electrified, petrified, too shocked to manage an attack, just like what happened with her at the Louvre. After that, she forced herself to turn around and face this person.

Kurtis.

_'What did you expect, Muller!'_ she asked herself. She found herself pinned to him and locked in his deep azure eyes. He snapped his fingers in front of her eyes, and she seemed to snap back to reality. He moved away, tilting his head once more, no guns this time. Lara now realized what had happened, "How DARE you!" she angrily began. Then she thought, he possibly couldn't have. He was wearing everything; holster, knapsack, his chirugaii hanging by his side, his clothes.

"I dared to see you wearing your holsters, that's about it," he answered, leaning casually against the doorway, with his arms crossed on his chest.

"How do I know that you're not lying?" Lara dangerously asked him.

"You yourself said that you trusted me. Now it's another alone fact that your trust is truly very weak," he said coldly.

"Whatever," she muttered and went out forwards, to a huge rock falling up and down and not staying at one place. The raider started running, gathering speed along by the metres she was quickly covering. When the stone rose up, she sprinted and when it was about to fall, rolled to safety. Kurtis just got _recognized_ again, and walked under the eight-tonne rock. Lara waited for him with a stony expression on her face. A lever was placed next to her, and a huge pit in front of her. Their destination was in sight, of course, but the pit looked deeper than that at the Wrath of Beast, when Lara was in search of the Earth crystal. "I wonder," she said to herself. Yes, sure thing she was back, back after Egypt. This was not her, she soon realized. She promised herself that she would never go tomb raiding again. But alas, her addiction took over her, and the darker version of Lara Croft lost against her life. Kurtis continued on watching her in deep interest, as she pulled the lever. He too had many expectations; a secret trapdoor falling underneath them, the ground rumbling and forcing them down the endless looking pit, a boulder coming down and crushing them underneath, unlike Lara, of course, who had much positive thoughts.

Hexagonagal blocks rose up from the pit, a few of them a shade of the darkest maroon, and the rest black. But, there were more maroon than black. "I wouldn't be too sure about it," she said to her colleague.

"Why not?" he annoyingly asked. This raider was far too slow at this.

"It's a trap. Many blocks will break underneath us," she answered calmly, observing the floating platforms.

"How can you tell?" he asked, now being 'just curious.'

"I know a trap when I see one, watch this," and for the demon hunter's own convenience, she grabbed a small stone lying beside her right foot and threw it on the nearest maroon platform.

A hundred points to Lady Lara Croft. All the maroon blocks broke away, leaving only the black ones. Kurtis gave a stupid grin. Lara ignored him and jumped to the nearest block. Kurtis followed her route.

Jumping and hopping, the two adventurers finally reached the alcove: their destination. Lara, however, had a desire to jump the last three blocks, made a huge leap. Kurtis, who had reached there before her, saw his partner hanging from an edge of the alcove.

"A little help would be useful," she said, tensed. Kurtis smiled, but bent down to pull her up. His strong hands gripped tightly her forearms. When she was on her feet, there were marks left blue on her pale skin. "You okay?" he asked anxiously.

"I'm fine," she said, then her face suddenly put on an expression describing pure horror. "Kurtis behind you!" she managed and pushed him hard. He landed flat, and Lara on top of him. He groaned because of his crash landing. It missed him by inches, an undead knight had attempted to kill him with his sword. _'Cool, undeads can go about in stealth as well,'_ he thought to himself. Lara pulled herself up, fast and holstered her Rigg 09 and Kurtis his own Boran X. Two knights, with metal shields and rusty swords gained on upon them. Kurtis and Lara, two adventurers standing back-to-back aimed at them, and shot a number of rounds. "They won't die like that," Lara whispered to him, "There has to be another way."

"What!" he blurted out, "How do expect us to kill 'em, huh? Throw him down the pit?" he said in his previous manner.

Lara's face lit up. "Exactly!" Lara rushed to the nearest one. The raider kicked on its ribs and shot it's skull. avoiding its sharp blows, she managed to throw it down the pit within three minutes! Kurtis on the other hand, didn't have these techniques. He holstered his gun, took out his chirugaii and used martial arts that he was taught at an early age. Soon, the other knight was down with his pal, deep down into the pit.

Lara moved towards a wooden table near the fireplace and it's hot, welcoming fire and observed books that prove to be of no use, except for one line. Lara took out Werner's notebook and neately scribbled: "Three periapts joined together burn with righteous light to confine evil."

"Now that's two I owe you," Kurtis told her after his fight.

"One only, you did save my life," Lara reminded him.

"So I did, what got over you anyway, attempt to skip three platforms?" he asked.

"I thought I'd make it," she reluctantly answered, "And would have if I wouldn't have lost my balance." She walked over to a chain and pulled it. _'This had better be good."_

_'Don't worry, it will be."_ Lara now got VERY angry. "WILL YOU STOP HACKING INTO MY MIND NOW AND THEN!" she yelled.

"Only if you say so," he said calmly.

Lara growled deep within. She was angry at him but got even angrier by his calm reaction. If he were not her partner, he would've blown him up with Eckhardt. The chain she had just pulled revealed a climbable wall. She jumped up and climbed the wall and then pulled up onto a wooden ledge. She ordered Kurtis to stay on the ground, in case something goes wrong. Lara jumped up and grabbed the metal grating, and traversed onto a ledge and her weight operated a mechanism, and opened a secret compartment below. Kurtis walked towards it, and grabbed the prize, the Fifth Obscura painting. Lara safety dropped below, and said, "I would recommend you give this to me, Kurtis."

"No, Croft. It would be better if I kept my hands on it," he shot back at her.

"Look, we need to destroy it. Isn't that our goal?"

"Yeah," he muttered.

"So it really doesn't matter who carries it. We need to get out of here first."

"And that's what I am saying."

Lara's temper flew up, but she decided to give him this so-called 'opportunity'. Her eye caught something. The fire

had been extinguished, leaving them a crawl space. That was their only route. She ducked and started crawling and soon made it to the other side. Kurtis followed. Both the colleagues wished that they had kept their wetsuits on. A small pool was in front of their eyes. Lara put on her aqua-lung. Shrugging, both jumped in the cold pool again.

They swam about a few tunnels, and finally saw a large circular room. Lara swam for it, Kurtis behind her. She entered the half flooded room but Kurtis...

The raider gasped in her aqua-lung. The opening had closed, and Kurtis left foot was back in the tunnel. He pulled hard, but only strained his leg. He looked completely desperate. _'Air!'_ he gasped in Lara's mind. She took off her half used aqua-lung and gave it to Kurtis. When he was at peace, she surfaced the water. There was still no way out. It was like as if she were in an arena. On the top was Eckhardt, smiling wickedly. On his right side were Muller and Gunderson on the other. He clapped his hands, "Congratulations, Ms.Croft, you are positively Amazonian. That vault has defeated us for months."

Lara felt so used, that she cursed at her own stupidity. "What do you want, Eckhardt!" she yelled at him from below.

"I am not interested in you or your friend, Ms.Croft. Give me the painting, and you both may leave," he offered. _'Lara, I need air!'_ She went back into the water and opened his knapsack, took the painting, and Kurtis grabbed her hand, and threw off his empty lung with the other. _'NO!'_

_'I don't have any other choice. You'll be free when he has this.'_

_'Anything- just (pant) don't- give it to (pant)'_ His voice was no longer audible and his eyes rolled back.Lara saw no other choice. She grabbed his head, and gave him mouth-to-mouth breathing. When he was conscious again, Lara left him and surfaced the water once more. "What choice do I have?" and she threw her prize reluctantly. Eckhardt caught it, "Making bubbles won't really help, Croft" _'Lara, I have an idea.'_ Lara went back to Kurtis underwater.

_'I can use you power and get out. Willing enough?'_

_'Go ahead.'_ Kurtis made her place her hand on his right temple and right where his heart was. He did the same with her. He started reciting something in his mind and closed his eyes, concentrating. Lara did so herself. She immediately started feeling weak. When he opened his eyes, his eyeball was visible no more. Lara's brown one too vanished. Kurtis felt stronger and stronger. White light circled around them, and Kurtis efforts were not useless.

"NO!" Eckhardt said from above, "this cannot be!"

He closed his eyes again and concentrated on the tunnel opening a bit so his trapped foot can get out. A yell came from the water, by Kurtis and he was free at last. He had opened his mouth but no water had gone in, because the powerful blinding white light was a shield against everything. Lara felt her body growing stronger and stronger, she opened her eyes and stared down into his piercing blue eyes once more. They both broke through the water, and breathed deeply. "Trent!" Gunderson exclaimed.

"Yes. Surprised to see me, murderer!" he shouted to them. A circular floor arose, taking the adventurers with it. Eckhardt angry at everything ordered Gunderson. "Release Boaz!"

Lara and Kurtis armed themselves and leaned against each others backs once more. A huge door opened and the world's ugliest creature jumped out. "She once used to be my former colleague, before she displeased me," Eckhardt explained, then turned towards the fat doctor.

"Not you, Muller, you useless piece of dross, you failed me too!" he kicked him down the arena, then exited himself. The spider Boaz moved forward and devoured him in one go. "C'mon, I'll give you a boost," Kurtis said to Lara. She balanced herself on his hand and jumped up. She felt a strong gust of wind throw her up on the ledge. She kneeled down and said to him, "Kurtis, quick!"

"Here take these two," he said and gave her his two Periapt Shards.

"But these are YOUR speciality, Kurtis!"

"Don't worry about the ugly here. GO ON! You're wasting time, I can take care of her," he said aiming at the monster.

"NO!" Lara yelled and jumped from above. A spike from the wall tore into her flesh, from her waist to her rib cage. She winced, and landed with a thud next to Kurtis. "I told you to go!" he angrily said.

"How can you think of defeating this monster all by yourself!" she said ignoring the pain and the blood of her latest wound. "You said we'd help each other out. I know you'll die if you try to kill her yourself!"

And THAT was the main truth. He deeply regretted saying his 'helping part' to her earlier. Now Eckhardt would get away. "And Eckhardt?" he asked her.

"We'll get him later." The horrifying Boaz then roared into their faces. Both grimaced.

"Ever heard of breath mints?" Kurtis asked the monster. Lara smiled. They both as a team were unbeatable.

**Synestra- I am sorry, but if I had 'read your mind' then I would never have started this. Thank you for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this.**

**AcidRush- Well, I guess it came out earlier for you, you just read it! Thank you for your suggestion, and those two expressions I made up myself. Thanks for reading, I will no longer disturb you.**

**I wrote all that after "I wonder" in a single day. My wrists hurt terribly. Anyway, review if read.**


	5. Boaz Returns

**AcidRush- Thanks a lot, Acid. Hope you like this update too.**

**AKKON- I am sorry about that game of yours. But Legend'll be coming out soon. Keep that away from your dog though. Thanks.**

**THANKS to everyone for the wonderful reviews, and I would like to tell you something. This won't end after "Eckhardt's Lab." I _will_ continue it, a few more chapters, but I'm gonna kill Karel, mind you. Thanks once again. Read on, without any further due.**

* * *

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 4: Boaz Returns**

The huge, monstrous Boaz, that had once been Eckhardt's colleague, now didn't even look like she used to be a human. Lara had seen her turn into a monster, fed to something called 'the pod'. "This is even worse than Willard," Lara whispered to herself.

Boaz had a huge black body of a spider, with a spiky tail and four pods. She looked like a part scorpion too, but, she had her face right near a spider's belly, as if clinging onto it. She looked like a mutant herself, although she had a half-spider half-scorpion body, and a pale human face. On top was her mouth, by which she had mercilessly eaten Muller, having revenge on him, of course; he was the one who fed her to that thing. And her roar was simply spine-chilling, even for Lara (A/N: and my maid, she is terrified of Boaz!)

But, the monster Boaz decided to make a main course out of Kurtis first, and chose Lara for the dessert. She walked forward, her steps making the arena shake and tried to take a bite of Kurtis, who had ducked to avoid the monster. When he stood up, she made another attempt, and Kurtis started shooting her face and moved backwards as well. Boaz again, gave a roar, and started sprewing toxic gooish liquid on both of them. Lara shot her body, cricling round her, aimlessly. She didn't know what happened really, but as her pods continued on spraying the liquid, that had now hit Kurtis on his back twice and abdomen once, shot at one of the pods, and caused it to break. Boaz screamed this time, and whilst she was at it, Lara rushed to Trent, who looked weird all of a sudden. He wiped out the toxic liquid from jis blue T-shirt, that now had holes because of the poison and gladly, only his white shirt was revealed. He was on his feet once more, and he said to Boaz and himself, "No more Mr.Nice Guy."

Lara's wound was bleeding heavily, and due to her fall from the ledge, got sand in it as well. The terrible pain remained steady in her body, and her vision became slightly hazy, but she continued on fighting the monster. Lara loaded Scorpian X quickly, as Kurtis gave a warrior-like yell and shot Boaz mercilessly himself, ducking as she vomitted the toxic liquid out of her mouth. Lara joined him and soon, they both were avoiding Boaz's pods, shooting at them the same time, and as a fruit to their efforts, two broke this time, one each. Kurtis wiped sweat off his brow and Lara pushed a strand of hair back to her ear, and caught their breaths. Boaz screamed loud, hard and long this time, and gave them enough time load their weapons. The last time, Kurits alone shot her face and destroyed her last pod, and Boaz rolled away. He and Lara, both wounded moved towards her slowly. He turned to her and said, "That-wasn't-so-hard," his voice tired and deathly.

"Really? I don't think so," Lara returned, wiping off blood from her waist. Kurtis, who had now seen it ,gathered his speed, rushed to her and checked her wound and gaped at it whilst crouching.

"You were hurt and you never told me that," he said quietly.

"It's just a small thing, it'll heal," Lara assured him.

"Heal! Lara half your waist is cut, and maybe rib as well," he _informed_ her, "This'll need stitches."

"Kurtis, behind you," Lara told him gravely. He turned around and exclaimed "Gimme a break!" and slashed a new clip to his Boran X. Surely, anyone as slang as he himself would have said that. Boaz was not dead, but she had left the spider's form and changed into a pixie-nymph creature. On one hand, or maybe not even a hand; straight from her arm was a one-foot-long spear and on the other were three long sharp fingers, one-foot each. Muttering something against pixies, Kurtis aimed and fired at the nymph, straight in it's face. Boaz opened up her wings and rose in the air, Lara loaded her weapon and stood beside Kurtis. Boaz's slits in place of eyes turned sharp electric blue, and electricity flashed on about Lara and Kurtis. "Separate!" Lara ordered him and seeing no other option, he complied by obeying her. Boaz returned to the ground, and both adventurers shot her face. Then, much MUCH sooner than they had expected, she slumped to the floor, and remained motionless for what seemed like an eternity to them, not really sure if she was dead or not. Kurtis walked towards her, his pistol trained on the creature's head, but she still didn't move. While going through his final stages of training as a Lux Veritatis, Kurtis was taught that Eckhardt, and the Cabal, would never really be dead using ONLY hardware. The true weapons of light, the Periapt Shards or the Glaive can kill them permanently. They still had the essences of immortality, if they are not completely immortal. Kurtis holstered his Boran X and whispered into Lara's mind, _'It's not dead, yet.'_

_'What!'_

_'It's trying to fool us, so later she can feast upon us. I want you to stay quiet, pin-drop silence. The Cabal members can only be killed with the true weapons of light. Not a sound, even if Boaz tries to attack me.'_

_'Okay, but if anything happens to you, then-'_

_'It'll not be our fault.'_ Lara just stood motionless, breathing slowly and deeply, even though her heart was beating like drums. Kurtis took out his chirugaii and turned his back upon Boaz.

100 points to Kurtis Trent, this time. With a short squeak and a flutter, Boaz was on her feet again, and Kurtis let out a deep growl and flashed his chirugaii, more like lightening near the head and beheaded the monster. It's dirty head fell near Lara's feet. Kurtis was breathless, and stared fiercely at the headless thing that lay in front of him. He hung his bloody chirugaii on his hanging belt and moved towards Lara. "I'll give you a boost, now," he said. Lara nodded, balanced herself on his hand and jumped up, a great gust of wind pushing her towards the ledge. She kneeled down, once more and offered her hand to him. He jumped up from Boaz's spider corpse, and caught her outstrecthed palm. With several grunts, Lara forced him up on the ledge. After taking a few deep pants, Kurtis began, "Your wound?"

"Chill. I'll worry about it later, when Eckhardt's dead."

"Chill! You'll bleed to death!" he argued.

"Oh I will be here long enough to kill Eckhardt, then I'll worry about it. Now, where the heck did he leave?"

There were two double doors in front of them and a ventilation duct. Somehow, Lara had a really bad feeling about the doors. "I vote for the vent," she said after some time.

"So do I," Kurtis answered after remaining silent for a while, "But I would like to check the doors too."

'Stubborn' Lara thought but went with him. She loaded her Scorpion X once more and Kurtis forced the doors open with his telekinesis.

"What did you expect?" Lara asked, staring into the empty room.

"Oh, I have a great many expactations," he cheekly answered. They moved towards the last door and Kurtis opened it.

Two gun terrets were activated, and three soldiers in their sight. Avoiding the bullets, Kurtis operated his chirugaii and the bloody weapon sliced off two soldiers' heads. Lara took care of the last one. They ran into another door, in order to escape the tiny bullets whizzing past them. It turned out to be an office, with a lever and a bureau. Kurtis pulled it and the sound of the terrets stopped; they had been deactivated. They got out and decided that the duct was their only route. Kurtis slouched, and Lara crawled inside the vent. Soon, they reached it's end, both somersaulted out and in a sandy place, saw a slope. Both the adventurers went slilding down to the Lost Domain.

* * *

**Done with it, thank GOD! Hope you like it, I wrote everything after "Gimme a break" today (16th August). Not quite a lot, much smaller than my previous shift. THANKS to everyone AGAIN for the wonderful reviews.**


	6. Lost Domain

**Got bored, really, so started working on this chapter. DAMN IT! I AM committed to posting new chapters quickly, as 'Lady Lara Croft' would say.**

**The Odd Little Turtle- Here's the update, you wont have to wait. Thanks.**

**Synestra- Only if we people have given Core Design more time, the game would have been better than this. Read on.**

**AcidRush- Here is you chapter 6, or 5. I liked writing the pixie part myself. Wait till the hearing if you're looking flirtation J.**

**Ellethiel- I'm sorry, NO SEQUEL on this. I will continue it after Eckhardt's Lab but no sequel. Thank you and please keep on reviewing. **

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 5: The Lost Domain**

Both gracefully slid down the sandy slope till they came to a stop. Lara regained her balance and so did Kurtis. In front of them were two short tunnels. Taking left, they saw a lever, and a door at the far end of the room. There were a number of stone platforms, probably remains of what was once a huge gray stone floor. At some points, the floor level was higher than the others. "You want the honor?" Kurtis asked, pointing to the lever.

"Sure thing," Lara answered. Tensed muscles pulled the lever, and the door opened. Kurtis ran up to jump but Lara stopped him, "Let us see for how long will this door remain open," she said. He sighed, long and hard. 'Why did I ever sign up for this, WHY?' he thought to himself, and asked God at the same time, with an innocent expression on his face.

The door hardly stayed for 12 seconds. Their run had to be fast, yet careful. The abysses looked deep. Lara pulled the lever again and made a sprint for it. She kicked her hands and feet in the air whilst making her second-last jump and performed a diving roll to reach the door. Kurtis joined her, moments later, panting hard. Lara told him something that she wanted to for a long time. "Quit smoking, and you wouldn't need to pant your lungs out," she calmly advised.

"Can't," he answered. They both followed the passageway to a huge room, with a lava pool, and stone platforms a large distance away from them, standing high in the middle. On the far end of the room were two statues, with their left hands aimed for a small staircase that led to a huge door. On the statues' hands was a radiant glow that showed trouble clearly to Lara. They neared to catch every single detail of the place, but hot flames started dancing around them, missing them by inches. Scared, both the partners backed away. Then, Lara noticed a broken bridge at the top of the room. Warm brown eyes scaled the bridge that was connected to a wooden ladder. Somehow, Lara didn't know what, the bridge stood perfectly straight, and looked strong enough to take their weight, but she could clearly see that it was attached from the rope, but the planks were broken and facing down towards doom.

Lara tugged on Kurtis' shoulder, who was busy staring disbelievingly at the statues. He did not notice it. He seemed to be staring in front of him, at nothing particular. She waved her hand in front of his deep azure eyes, but he paid no heed to her. "Kurtis?" she loudly asked to gain his attention; no such luck. Lara's blood boiled, but she found an alternative way to gain his attention. "Demon Hunter?" she said, in a far-away voice. He snapped to reality, and took a moment to register what she had said. He looked at her with a confused expression on his face. "What?" he managed.

Lara pointed to his chirugaii. Scraped uneatly with a sharp thing, or a blade were the words 'Demon Hunter'. Lara saw it first in the air lock, before throwing his chirugaii back there, she took a moment to look at it. She had never called him that, thinking that he might get a bit flirtatious. But there was no need now; he had proven himself quite a flirting guy about lately.

"Yes?" he asked her, giving in all the attention she needed, and adding lazily, "Tomb raider?"

"We cannot jump that high and reach the platforms, or if we do, the jumping flames will kill us. Our only way is the ladder. We-"

"Even with my powers?" he asked.

"Kurtis, get used to this fact; I am not a toy of yours that you can transfer anyway, anyhow," she sternly told him.

"It was for your own good," he muttered to himself.

"Sorry?" Lara asked.

'It's so nice to hear the word sorry from your mouth, wish it was vice-versa,' Kurtis bitterly thought, but sweetly replied with a smile, "Nothing."

"Okay, then, let's go," she said, thinking she had explained what she had to. The raider led the way, and climbed the ladder, followed by another one. She reached the top of the bridge, and waited for Kurtis to join her. After so, they jumped the missing planks of the bridge, and followed it to the end of it. A part of it, hung down on the left side, and formed a steep slide. Below the slide was a stone platform, and in front of the slide was a small lever, standing on a ledge. "So?" Kurtis asked her. Lara threw him a dangerous look. He put his hands in front of him, protectively, "Hey! You're the tomb raider," he said with a grin.

"We'll split up, for now," Lara answered, thoughtfully.

'Oh, you have no idea how long I've waited to hear those lovely words,' Kurtis' one side thought, but the other half objected, and said that he _must_ stick to Lara. Kurtis chose the first one and nodded to Lara.

"I'll need help from your powers," she reluctantly said.

"Won't you feel being 'toyed around' that way?" he asked, tilting his head.

"No," she boldly answered, "Help me get to the other side; the lever." She made a jump, and with a swift wave of his hand, Kurtis forced Lara on the ledge. "Now what!" he yelled to her.

"You go down, jump onto a stone platform, I don't think the flames will come around that way," the bossy raider answered.

"You're telling me to be the bait, again!" he said to her, horror fully.

A smile graced the tomb raider's beautiful features, "Yes."

"No, no way I am going to do it," Kurtis stubbornly said, and crossed his arms on his chest and shook his head.

"Well, I'm up here now, you don't have a choice. You very well know we have to get Eckhardt before he revives the Sleeper," Lara called to him.

"Women," Kurtis muttered to himself, "Too bossy for anything." And reluctantly obeyed. He jumped down, to a stone platform, and hopped from one to the other, avoiding falling in the lava pool. He reached the staircase, sighed a sigh of relief and began to make his way up.

Razor sharp blades came up from the last step, and twisting and turning, made their way to the first. Kurtis, backed away, he still thought he was too young to die. Lara saw the oppurtunity, and pulled the lever. The blades went down to the earth, and didn't come out again. The radiant glow coming from the statues' hands faded away.

"THANKS," he yelled to her for her action. Lara got off the ledge and taking on his route, joined up to him, minutes later. As they raced up the stairs, the huge oak door in front of them unlocked itself. An electric blue liquid got in it's craved design from somewhere, and vanished. The door opened and invited them in. "This is the entrance to Eckhart's lab," Kurtis said, seriously.

Lara smiled, "Welcome to Prague."


	7. Eckhardt's Lab

**Now, there's this long, long chappie for you people. My first shot in flashbacks, so I don't expect it to be perfect. They are in Italics. And in the middle, I'm dead sure I brought about Science classes in your mind ;). A round of thanks, of course.**

**AcidRush- I liked those small funny moments myself! After all the hard fighting the raiders did with Boaz, I just decided to give them a nice humorous break. I may have not killed Karel in this chapter, but at least… Read on, I don't wanna spoil the surprise! **

**AKKON- I hope I must've given you enough time tom let the previous chapters sink in. This one took a LONG time. I will, update the next one not too quickly, just the way you'll like it. Thanks!**

**Chain Of Memories- With Lara, everything is easy, but with Kurtis, um... let's not discuss it right now. I hope this one's good. Thanks for reviewing.**

**lara-n-kurtis- You are not crazy, just a little overwhelmed :D… Thanks for reviewing me, now read on, you deserve this for your wait.**

**Without any further due, here is the awaited chapter.**

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Ending

Chapter 6: Eckhardt's Lab

The raiders proudly walked in through the door that looked quite welcoming to them, indeed. It was a split second later after entering a stone passageway that the male started searching for something abruptly in his pockets. "Have you seen my ring?" he anxiously asked his companion.

"You wore one?" Lara asked him, and then recalled that he did. "No."

Kurtis turned around and saw his precious right in the middle of the oak door that was closing slowly. He ran and grabbed it, putting it where it belonged: his right ring finger. "What's it for?" Lara asked, viewing it's importance.

"I'm engaged," Kurtis lied, and upon seeing Lara roll her eyes, added, "To Janice."

"That red smoking woman!" Lara asked disbelievingly. She doubted just for a small moment that if it was true, then _he_ must have led Janice to her disgusting habit.

"Yes," he answered with his trademark smirk.

But Lara knew he was lying. Lara _and_ Janice had seen him come out of Le Serpent Rouge. Janice acted normal, and such a woman like her won't if she saw her fiancé coming out of a place that was being staked out.

"Liar!" Lara said.

"Caught me. This is passed on to every family, of the Lux Veritatis. For us Bonvagues, it has always been gold."

"But you said your surname is-"

"Trent. I joined the Foreign Legion after my training. I was Gunderson's best agent there, he named me 'Trent' and that's where I got it from. I did not know that Gunderson was Eckhardt's man, I immediately left after father's murder," he explained, with a rather dark expression.

"You were a mercenary!" Lara asked, utterly shocked. She was actually beginning to like this man.

"Before father's murder, yeah," he answered, trying to hide the pain, but she didn't care.

"You were a mercenary, and you never told me that!" she began, her blood boiling.

"I was young there, and I desperately needed cash, so-" he tried.

"So you thought you'd start killing people for money, right?" Lara snapped.

"I-" he again tried.

"You know that I have my reputation out there!" Lara shot with fury.

"But you-"

"So what if the world thinks I am the Monstrum! I know that I am not one, and after proving it, I'll get another big stain on my reputation, and you know why? Because I worked with someone for the first, or maybe the last time and that someone turned out to be a mercenary!" she yelled at him, pointing her index finger at him whilst saying the last line. Lara became breathless, and since her temper flew up, a terrible headache broke out in her head.

"Sorry," Lara murmured, not sounding sorry at all and turned. She felt that she had said much more than she should to a stranger. She can truly can think that his father's murder knocked the sense back into him. She didn't want him to start crying on her; it wouldn't be a pleasure for anyone to run around wet in this cold city of Prague, and especially someone who is running from police!

Kurtis bent his head, obviously ashamed. He regretted what he said before, deeply, and recalled the darkest memory he had. "What would you do if your parent or most trusted friend forced you to go in the mouth of death?" he asked gravely, and quietly.

Lara inwardly gasped. Hair on the back of her neck stood up on it's end. 'Werner,' she thought. "The final stages of my training," he continued in a shaky whisper, "when I was sixteen. Father, left me alone, to die."

She never felt so alike to another person in all her life. His father left him to die, and Werner, who was like her parent, did the same with her. One couldn't call it just a coincidence; they both were of the same age. Lara felt a certain darkness inside, and her heart twisted in pain, because someone, _finally_, a someone who was like her in any way, had been through the same stage, she had hit upon a major truth of his life, and brought up his most painful experience.

Her past life haunted her like spirits, and followed her like a shadow. A strong hand grabbed her arm and forced her to turn and face Kurtis. "HOW WOULD YOU? HUH!" he bellowed at her face, as his voice echoed in the passage. His blue eyes turned bloodshot, and he shivered slightly, though it was perfectly warm. Lara got a bit scared, of what he might do to her. His nose was flaring in anger or regret, and his angry gaze remained steady on her. His expression became calm then, and his grip fell. "Trust me, if you haven't experienced it, you'll never know," he said in a deathly whisper, and as if to hide his tears, he turned and placed a hand on the wall, and leaned with one hand against it, and hot tears rolled freely.

A wave of emotion swept over her, and took away all the stiffness she could muster. "I understand," she whispered to him, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Perfectly," she added with a dry throat. Kurtis wiped his tears, and did not let Lara see them. Seeing him like that, she did what she thought was right, and what should've been done long ago. "I never knew it was like that."

"And you didn't even try, how can you understand?" he asked her, with melancholy.

"Because it all happened to me too. Werner was like my father, and he left me to die too, like you. We are very similar to each other. And I now realize this. I am alone now." Kurtis didn't reply. She had actually told her only secret to someone.

They walked a short way till they came to a slope, with spikes coming out in from the sides, trying to finish the intruders they sensed: the raiders. The slope ended with a small lava pool. Lara jumped on the slope and slided gracefully in the middle, jumped up again to avoid being toasted in the lava and somersaulted in the air to see Kurtis' progress, and with a soft thud, she hit the ground. He started when Lara ended, but jumped early, for he couldn't stand the heat; unlike the raider. The lava pool was small, yet large enough to take Kurtis. The tomb raider, realizing that he won't make it on his own, dived and caught his wrists just before he fell to his boiling doom. Lara puffed, panted and grunted hard, and all her exertion _did_ provide fruit. She managed him on the ledge.

He panted slightly, dusted off the dirt and continued without a word. Lara followed into a small room. There was an extinguished fire-place, lots of tables with some weird flasks placed on top. There was a broken staircase that led to a receptacle, on a wooden stand. Near the entrance was a small pool, meters below the pit. On the top was a large cage hanging from a rope. Placed on one of the side of the pit was a lever. On the far edge of the room was another pool, a circular one and the pools' red glow alarmed Lara. A wooden ladder was placed on the right side of the doorway. A ledge blocked it's way on somewhat the sixteenth rung. "Here goes nothing," the tomb raider said and with tensed neck muscles, pulled the lever. A creaking sound was made and the ledge was thrown upwards; thus opening the trapped ladder. A metallic clang near Lara informed the adventurers that two undead knights were freed as well, from what exactly, they didn't know. Lara holstered her Rigg 09 and Kurtis his Boran X once more. The partners, without any intentions, stood back-to-back again, and circled slowly. _'This is getting really old.'_

Kurtis kicked one's face and staggering, the undead fell into the pit near the lever.

"Thanks," Lara said, as his action provided her with a strategy. Lara ran to the other side of the room, where the other deep pool was situated. She jumped above the pool, and the knight, who thought that he himself too could make it, jumped up high and Lara emptied a clip right into his skull. It fell down in the water and sank in there. Lara saw that it was not water, but clear lava! His skeleton body was covered in flames as they rose up high from the water, making Lara back away and hit... A similar receptacle! But she was too tensed to observe it. Kurtis rushed to her, from the round edge of the small place. His eyes snapped open at the sight of fire, and he led Lara back to the old room with her hand. She was still in the state of shock. "Lara," he began shaking her, wondering what she saw.

"I saw the last Periapt Shard in the pool, back there," Lara whispered.

"What!" Kurtis blurted out. 'Is she telepathic?'

"Yes, it was on a stand; deep down."

"You sure?"

"Yes," and to end their previous topic for once and for all, she began, "I'm sorry for what happened back there. I've never worked with someone, and the first time, I am with..." she stopped. His grip loosened, and then fell.

Lara heavily sighed. "I'm sorry."

"You should know one more thing; I've left the Legion and Gunderson. If I knew that he's with that Alchemist, I would've never joined it."

"You accept my apologies?"

"In a way, yes," he answered, and slipping an arm under Lara's armpit, he gave Lara a tight hug, and a friend, that both of them needed. Lara returned it as tightly.

* * *

"WHAT!" Eckhardt yelled when he saw the adventurers locked in a tight embrace. There was a secret camera hidden behind one of the flasks on the table, and he could hear and see what was going on perfectly.

"I know, it is shocking, indeed," Gunderson said when he saw the video himself. Joachim Karel stayed quiet.

"Those two had firstly formed a team, and now THIS! Truly outrageous. And worse, they have crept up into my lab!" Eckhardt exclaimed.

"At least the Shard's safe," Karel pointed out.

"Not for long," Gunderson informed him, "Meister has arranged a puzzle for any intruder to find the Shard. With Croft's brains and Trent's strength, they could easily solve it."

"That is it then. I am going to start the ritual, now! They might not have time to stop me; the Nephilim will rule the world!"

"Sorry, Pieter. You forgot an important detail: The ritual can only be formed when the sky turns dark. You need to wait ten minutes for that, otherwise-" Karel was cut off by him.

"Yes, yes. No need to teach me anything," he rudely said. Karel's temper rose, but he tried to remain calm, as he planned out his next move.

"The Shard?" Gunderson asked, somewhat anxiously.

"Well, let them have it. Even if they solve the puzzle, they will be too late to stop me from what I have to do," Eckhardt said whilst rubbing his hands against the cold, and then gave out a long, cold and evil laugh.

* * *

They broke away, and after holstering their guns, noticed that there was a metal gate. "We now, need the Shard," Kurtis reminded her. Lara nodded as an answer, and something shiny green caught her eye. Sitting lazily on the nearest table was a phial. Lara picked it up, and observed it. The liquid shone perfect green, and on the top was scraped into rusty metal: O2.

"Oxygen?" she asked herself aloud. Kurtis read the formula himself. "It's oxygen all right," he said to her. Shrugging because of not coming up with any solution, she placed the phial in her backpack. The partners walked up to the receptacle on a wooden stand. After observing it, Kurtis said, "No. It's for hydrogen."

"Great! Now where are we gonna find hydrogen?" she asked him.

"Just a hunch," Kurtis told her and walked towards the free ladder. "You stay here, you've taken many risks now and then," he instructed her. Frustrated, Lara complied.

Kurtis climbed up and got off the right side. On one corner of the room was a wooden structure, and the receptacle he had been looking for. 'O' was scraped into this. "So this is where it goes," he muttered to himself, and then he called out to Lara, "Found the right receptacle!"

"Good work, chap," Lara praised him. As he walked down, he saw something electric blue in the black cage hanging above the pit. Kurtis jumped onto it, and it started swaying slightly. "What the heck are you up to!" she yelled at him as he gripped the rope to steady it as well as regain his balance.

"Three minutes," he called out to her, and after falling through a secret trap-door, he picked up his prize: a hydrogen phial. A sudden jerk made him stagger a bit, as the cage started falling toward the clear lava. He climbed up the metal bars, and hoisted himself up. The cage had fallen into the pit, and he stood on the top, perfectly safe from boiling death. Lara rushed towards him, "You okay!" she asked.

"Fine," he nodded. The walls of the pit looked climbable. He thrust his fingers and toes into them and climbed up, but at a certain point, he couldn't go any further. He raised his neck up a bit to see something that took his breath away. He pulled himself up into this small niche, and picked up another Phial. "NaCl?" he asked himself, and calculated out the formula in his mind. "Sodium Chlorine or even; Sodium Chloride! This is salt!" he exclaimed. He quickly made his way up, and performed a backflip and landed near Lara. Kurtis produced two Phials, and Lara was amazed. "You're as good at raiding as me myself!" she exclaimed.

"Hunting," he corrected her. He took the Phials back and Lara climbed the ladder to place the phial in it's receptacle. A white light covered the structure, and then faded away. Meanwhile, Kurtis did the same with the remaining Phials, and white light illuminated the room. Lara jumped down, and saw pure white liquid traveling on the floor, towards the pool that kept the Shard. The liquid mixed in, and the pool turned bluish. "You go in there," he said to her.

"Why?" Lara asked.

"Eckhardt will know that someone from the Order is taking the Shard. We don't wanna alert him," he explained.

"Fine with me," and with a simple yet graceful dive, Lara swam into the pool, and took her prize from the pedestal. She surfaced the room.

Kurtis drew his Boran when he heard a metallic sound. The gate was thrown open, and a slide made it's way to their destination. They both stood and stared down. "Ready?" he asked, emotion flickering in his azure eyes.

"As anyone could be," she returned. With a nodding tilt of his head, the adventurers slid down the passage. In front of them stood large double doors. "Kurtis, you stay. I'll go in first," Lara told him, "He might've set a trap for you."

"Okay, I'll join you later," he quietly answered and for her, pushed open the door. The room beyond was deserted. He gave her one Shard, and kept the rest in his hands. Lara walked on towards the middle of it, and Kurtis stayed hidden behind one of the eight pillars.

The sky was dark, she could see from the glass domed ceiling. The room was circular, and near the middle of it was a round holed metal floor. The place had floors, but the source to reach them were not yet visible. Eckhardt was on the top-most one, and on a pedestal, he placed metal pieces on five specific corners. Those five magically moved and fused in to make a deadly weapon: The Sanglyph. The Sleeper, was lowered from the ceiling to the floor on which their enemy was standing on. Lara slashed a new clip into her Scorpion X and shot a few bullets at him. He placed his Snaglyph in front of him, and with a ricocheting sound, the bullets fused into the _thing_. "Still alive Ms.Croft, you are resilient!" he exclaimed, "But over the decades I've killed more mortals like you than I can remember."

"And stole their body parts like a cheap grave robber," she added for the killer.

"As now I will take yours," he jumped down one floor.

"All those organs you ripped off from your victims were to wake this THING? You are grotesque!" she said disgustingly as she shot a few more bullets that he avoided.

"Only my great arts can cause the higher race to flourish again," he said with sickly pride.

"So I guess it's up to me to stop you, then," she called out to him.

"I hunted down and killed the last of the Lux Veritatis. I am immortal!" he said.

"Really?" Kurtis asked as he joined in the conversation, with strong arms crossed over his chest. Upon seeing him, Eckhardt gave out a laugh.

"You! Someone who is a half Veritatis can think of killing me! Son of a someone whose mother was a normal human!" he exclaimed and laughed some more. Lara shot Kurtis a demanding look, but unexpectedly, his facial expressions clearly explained that he was amused.

"I think you confusing me with Kurtis Ricardo, Eckhardt," he shot at him, and suddenly, Eckhardt looked as if he had seen a ghost. Kurtis showed him the two Shards and Lara the third. "The Shards!" he asked and looked more grave. Eckhardt needed the final two ones, and they were with him all along!

"Scary, huh? For you," Lara smirked.

"It is my destiny to breed Hell on earth. You are nothing to me," he shot.

"D'you know," Lara said throwing a glance at Kurtis who gave a nod, "It's gonna be a real pleasure to shut you up!"

Eckhardt jumped to the ground and created a powerful force field using the Sanglyph. Only the two adventurers and him were left in the huge circular area. He quickly attached the Snaglyph to his glove, and sent blue electric shots on them. "Duck!" Kurtis yelled, and laid himself on his abdomen, in a perfect commando crawl. Lara followed his route, and joined him seconds later. Eckhardt gave a hideous yell, and continued on sending energy bolts at them. When he was unsuccessful after three tries, he ran to one side, and using his glove, created a copy of himself, that hung down, and swayed. He jumped to the other side, with a huge leap he made another copy of himself. ''500 years of age and still making five meter jumps!" Lara whispered to Kurtis, who stood again on his feet.

"Yeah," he answered. He made the third copy of himself, and the three doppelgangers stood up, and ran to the middle of the floor. They fused with gold light, and Lara covered her face. Kurtis squinted his eyes, and moved forward with one Shard ready in his hand. Eckhardt was on his knees, and his gray eyes shone like diamonds when Kurtis reached him. "This is for my mother!" Kurtis growled, and thrust the Shard on his abdomen. Eckhardt screamed on top of his lungs, and rose from the ground as the Light of Truth damaged him internally. Kurtis' breaths were ragged and short, and when Eckhardt returned to the ground, Kurtis gave him a full round-house kick, and after staggering for a while, he sent a red glowing fireball at Kurtis, who missed it by inches. He sent another one at Lara, and it brushed by her wounded waist. She screamed in agony, and Kurtis rushed to her. Lara's waist started bleeding again. "Lara, you okay?" he asked anxiously.

"Am fine," she said with a wince, and with his help, she managed to get in a crawl position, as Eckhardt continued to fire fire-bolts at them. Kurtis stood up, a wall of water that screamed to leak away like tears in his eyes present. "This one's for Lara!" he yelled to him, and he thrust his hands forward. The next fire-ball sent by Eckhardt, hit back to him in the face, as Kurtis used his telekinesis to turn the direction. However, the skin didn't burn, and neither did it swell; it looked as if nothing happened at all, but on the contrary, Eckhardt _felt_ the pain. He gave out a painful yell, and Kurtis then rushed to him, ready to stab. "My father, Eckhardt, who you mercilessly murdered. Remember Eckhardt, he begged you that just once, he could see my face. Now the world will never see yours!" and he thrust the Shard next to the previous one. He again rose from the ground, and when he returned, Lara walked towards him, with the last Shard ready. Her wound had stopped bleeding, but she felt as if someone was applying hot needles into it sharply. With Kurtis' support, she walked forward with an awfully strong desire to end this now. 'Relax Lara, just a few more minutes,' she mentally told herself. Eckhardt looked dazed. His vision was hazy, and he felt extremely weak. Lara whispered, "For Werner," and she charged up. When the distance between home and the Shard was only a few inches, a strong hand grabbed it and Lara surprisingly thrown backwards into Kurtis' lap. "Karel!" Kurtis exclaimed seeing him. When the demon hunter realized what might happen, he left Lara and rushed to Karel, or should we say, jumped on him and pinned him to the ground. While the two men rolled over each other, Lara stood up as the pain had incredibly ceased. Kurtis gave an angry yell, and took the Shard from his hand. "Lara, the Shard!" he shouted, and threw their prize in the raider's hands.

"THE END!" she screamed and thrust the Shard deep into his forehead. His head rolled to his right shoulder.

Karel pushed Kurtis to one side, and he rolled over. "Filthy mortal!" he exclaimed. Lara held Karel at gun point, this time with her both Vector-R35's. Kurtis flashed his laser sight in Karel's eyes. "I knew you'd find the third Shard," he said to both of them, "But I wanted the honor to kill Eckhardt."

"But why? You worked for him," Lara said, as surprised as Kurtis.

"No, unknowingly _he_ worked for me. But his usefulness was ended."

"Will you destroy his work?" Lara asked with hope that he will. She wanted a soft warm bed desperately.

"Of course not! The Great Work will be finished. I'm offering you both the chance to become part of a benign new order in the world," he said with an evil expression.

'Oh bother!' "You are kidding, right?" Kurtis asked.

"We Nephilim have only ever been trying to survive," he said with a glint of sadness.

'WHAT!' Lara thought, but said harshly, "Too many people have died for me to trust you. Including a good friend, Von Cory."

"He was an unfortunate victim of history, Lara. Eckhardt was stupid to have killed him. I have helped you all along, both here and in Paris, going through different transformations," Joachim Karel explained, as he suddenly turned into Bouchard, "So that you can reach here, and be MY partner in this superior deed," he said whilst turning into a familiar reporter: Luddick. Lara, utterly shocked, stared disbelievingly, and Kurtis too stared on. Then, the Nephilim did something that surprised both the partners:

He transformed into Kurtis.

"You can trust me Lara Croft," he continued. Lara didn't believe her eyes, but did after seeing that the fake Kurtis walked, talked and acted like the real Kurtis. "What the heck!" Kurtis exclaimed. Lara gazed at Kurtis with an expression that showed that she'll never trust anyone ever again.

"I swear, he's lying!" he said after seeing Lara's expression. As he saw how Lara looked hurt and terribly used, he decided to convince her with an alternative path. "You said you trusted me," the real Kurtis said, in a desperate tone.

The fake Kurtis smirked, that trademark smirk, being copied from the real Kurtis. Karel turned into his true Nephilim form. "Lady Lara Croft, is he even a _thing_ to trust? Such a respectable rank you've got, when you weren't wanted, I can change that," the ugly thing had purple veins sticking out of perfect gray skin. Strange symbols were marked on the face, and he looked menacing. When he had turned into Kurtis, no emotion or flame of hope shone in between azure orbs. No red flush on the cheeks as a sign of life, overall, no matter which fake identity he put on, he looked like death himself; no signs of life present.

"Lara, don't listen to him," Kurtis began.

"You shall have your reputation back," Karel reminded her in a fashion.

"He'll kill you after his dirty-"

"I'll keep you like a queen, and won't lay a finger on you-"

"HE KILLED WERNER!" Kurtis yelled as he lost his temper. Lara flashed a confused look at him. "Don't you understand," Kurtis began, as he rushed to Lara. "He is the Monstrum! He murdered Werner, because Eckhardt admitted that he killed my parents. He used to put on Eckhardt's appearance and go on terrorising the streets of Paris and Prague. It was he who landed you in this position, he! Karel, NOT Eckhardt!" Kurtis pointed out.

"I am worthy of your trust, Lara Croft," Joachim Karel said, ignoring Kurtis, as he put forward his right hand, as a sign of courtesy that did him a bad deed.

On his palm was a symbol; the symbol of the Nephilim. Lara remembered something that she couldn't for a lot time: the scene of Von Croy's death.

_"I'm tracking five Obscura paintings for a client called Eckhardt, but he's a psychopath!" Werner said to his ex-student._

_"Why should I care?" Lara Croft said, obviously angry at him for Egypt._

_"Because I'm being stalked! People are dying out there!" he said desperately as he rose from his chair._

_"Handle it, Werner!" Lara said, as she rose with a creak from her armchair._

_"Look, please Lara," he began as he fetched something from his bureau. "Look, go and see this woman Carvier, she can help."_

_Lara grabbed the card and snapped, "I'm going," then she thought of making Werner feel guilty for what he had done to her before. "Egypt Werner," she said as she turned like a flash and pushed him on the chair in which previously she was wasting her time on. "You walked away and left me, there was no pity then!" she shot angrily. _

_"Get out, get out of the way!" Lara complied, when Von Croy gave her a slight push on the right shoulder, and moved backward. Von Croy drew out his pistol, and a strong hand forced Lara to hit a shelf of books, and her vision became hazy, and now remembered clearly what she had heard. _

_"NO!" Werner shouted, and grunted as it looked like as if he was being pushed on from wall to wall. She heard a slipping sound, and saw later Werner's pistol under a table. _

_"Von Croy, you located the painting for me, why didn't you give it to me?" Eckhardt asked as he grabbed the poor professor from the throat and lifted him up._

_"I daren't collect it, it's too dangerous. But she'll be able to," he choked, pointing to Lara. Eckhardt threw the unconscious-looking raider a dirty look. Then firmed his grip on Werner's throat, and after a small yell, he departed from the world. "Your usefulness is finished!" Eckhardt said, as Werner's lifeless body thumped to the floor. He cut open his chest, and took out the organs he needed, and using his blood, wrote something in Latin on the walls. After doing his dirty job, he grabbed Werner's glasses, and broke them by crushing it in his palm. During the small process, he changed in to what he really was; Joachim Karel, a Nephilim. _

_"You humans break so easily," he muttered as he dropped the broken spectacles near Lara's face. The last thing she remembered was the symbol engraved in the flesh of him palm._

Snapping back to reality, and seeing Kurtis, she nodded at him. "You killed Von Croy!" she said deeply, as her warm brown eyes now full of anger narrowed.

"Stupid mortals! So be it!" Karel cursed the adventurers.

* * *

**Well, I guess you'll need to learn how to cope with cliffhangers :D The next one will be up really soon, it's a short one I guess, but NOT the end. Thanks once more. Please, let me know how this was, 28.1 KB is really a lot to write, or simply eleven pages. Thanks for encouraging me to continue on with this story, I thought it won't be good at all. Please do keep on encouraging. I appreciate it.**


	8. Darkness Overruled

**Okay, I have an extremely busy schedule nowadays. I don't have time for writing (except for weekends), and I only get 45 minutes for the Internet(!) everyday, in which I have to reply on eidos forums and read marvelous chapters and review as well, locate information on the upcoming game and check my e-mails! Yeah, so much to do, so little time. An annual function is coming up, around this Saturday. It would be really very hard to write as I have my own cousins as well, with a bloody important meeting on Monday. Anyway, I'll manage. A round of thank yous, of course:- **

**Synestra- Is this soon enough? Thanks for the praise, I appreciate it.**

**Chain of Memories- This isn't that long, I just know this much now. Hope you like it! Thanks.**

**Angel of Hotness- That's a nice nick you got there! I'm glad the (previous) chapter dialogues _seemed_ natural; I know how it is when you have to force your character. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Odd Little Turtle- Thanks a bunch, Froggie!**

**Nienna Tasartir- Thanks and I too wish the game was better than this! **

**AKKON- You can stop clapping now, please. Thanks for such a wonderful review!**

**Without any further due, here is the awaited chapter:-**

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Ending

Chapter 7: Darkness Overruled

The half-Nephilim rose from the ground, surrounded by a green steady flame. During that time, the raider ran a slow run due to her wound and picked up Eckhardt's Sanglyph. Kurtis just stared on at the object with sick green color floating steadily in the air. Something red caught his eye, and looking at a faint red glow on a particular pillar, Kurtis realized that they might be requiring Lara's tactics here. Lara came to him and swiped the Sanglyph in a weird holder and the source to get op the top became clearly visible. Two ladders were lowered down, and at the colleagues made a run for them. At this point, their enemy Karel started throwing energy bolts at them.

They hastily climbed, rung after rung and they soon reached the first floor. Lara and Kurtis met in a tensed position, and quickly decided to run on separate ways on the same circular walkway, for two reasons: to confuse their enemy, and to find the way to the second floor.

They made a fast sprint on their routes, and after finding another ladder, the two adventurers climbed it as they did the first one, only this time, one followed after the other.

"Climbing to the top won't help a bit! Your actions are-"

"NOT useless!" Kurtis angrily yelled. The second floor was as deserted as the first one, only a part where there was no walkway, but was small enough to jump through.

'You find the way to the top, and use the Sanglyph to destroy the Sleeper; I'll take care of him'. Kurtis mentally told Lara.

'Be careful' she answered, quite anxiously. Kurtis was slightly confused about her response. No one ever had cared for him, and obviously no one would also ever bother to worry about him. Lara was the very first person to do so. A strange, unknown feeling came up to him, and he felt as if he was worth something. His previous events of life forced him to think that he was just another helpless person, who couldn't even give himself what he wanted without pain. He felt different, unusually wonderfully weird. He replied with his tone even more worried than hers, _'you please.'_

Lara was surprised at his tone, but decided to think on the subject later on; this being a much tensed situation to ponder on why a stranger can worry about her. She took up a fast sprint once more to the right, then spotting a ladder stuck to the pillar standing on its support. She climbed up, with incredible speed, and soon reached the top.

Meanwhile, Kurtis made a short sprint when Karel floated around the place where no walkway was held. He jumped up, kicking his hands and legs in the air giving him more potential and making his leap longer lengthwise than it should be. His hands clutched Karel's black jacket, and he continued to climb his thin skinny body in order to eliminate the destructive form of half angels who vowed to destroy the very world in which they live in. Karel tried to throw a flaming energy bolt at Kurtis, but since the distance between the two supernatural men was extremely close, he couldn't manage it. Karel growled at him, but Kurtis threw him a long angry glare, as he telepathically moved the powerful Periapt Shard from Eckhardt's body to Karel's own. One Shard was enough, as Joachim Karel was a half Nephilim.

Lara jumped onto the hibernating Sleeper, as she placed the Snaglyph roughly on the Sleeper's left leg; really wondering if that could help it in anyway. The Sanglyph turned pale gold in color, and the tomb raider realized that this meant trouble. Lara looked around and saw a cable strong enough to hold her. A short jump was made and after sliding a bit from it, she leapt down a number of meters. Sharp pain spread on through her ankles, as she paused for a breath from the long drop.

It was a panic-stricken moment for Kurtis. He stabbed Karel right in the heart and jumped at nothing particular, but luckily landed on the first walkway. A grunt escaped his thin lips, and he vaulted over the railing to find Lara slightly looking worse for wear. Karel, screamed as he received more and more damage, as the Lux Veritatis were now successful. Karel had failed! His superior deed is being destroyed before it even got completed. He now realized that this was his fate, nothing else; he was going to die. Using his last ounce of strength, he managed a last glowing energy ball at them, at Lara. She failed him, now she was going to have some-ugh! A grunt left his lungs as the objects of the room started circling around the Sleeper, and the Sanglyph. The product of the negative reaction; the Light of Truth pierced in through him in the abdomen. A small yelp escaped him, and Joachim Karel met his end.

The energy bolt hit Lara on full swing. She had her back turned, and Kurtis was too late to give a warning. A great jerk forced her forward, and the dried up blood melted and the scab on her wound burned away. Kurtis grabbed her by the hand, and rushed towards a small opening he just recently noticed. Lara just managed a few grunts in a row, and hot tears of pain sprang up into her warm brown eyes. Kurtis hand squeezed hers in spite of the fast running he was doing. That somehow transferred some strength into her. A blast forced the adventurers to jump in order to escape.

The small opening led to the arena where they both had fought Boaz. Her spider corpse lay still, of course but the shadowy effect that came made the sight a little ugly. While they panted for breath, Lara felt a great wave of relief sweep over her; hence refreshing her. Both silently walked towards the Boaz hole where the monster had emerged from. "I know the way out," Kurtis whispered to her.

"Then lead," she whispered back. Side-by-side, the two friends walked. Kurtis hand rose from his side and moved towards her wound, as it bled constantly. He applied little pressure to stop the bleeding, and later it did, but his action didn't bug Lara. She simply rested her head on his shoulder as they walked into darkness, not fearing what might happen, for they had each other.

**Don't worry, don't panic, I will continue. PLEASE review!**


	9. Breather

**Okay, back after a LONG time, I know. Just that this was a long one, and then I again typed this on my new computer (I bought it finally) and then came the earthquake. Yes, I and my family and friends are quite alright, but many others are not. I request you people to do what you can to help them.**

**In 'Death may not just be the end', I mentioned that I would be going somewhere, and guess what! Because of some delegation, my seat (returning flight) was cancelled! I had specially had it confirmed three months early! I am trying my best to have it done, the agent is. Hopefully, I would be able to catch up the flight to Karachi, and then I'll come back home.**

**My round of thank you's, of course. I got a lot of feedback last time. Please make this time as good as the previous, call it a 'come-back-gift.'**

**Synestra- Oh god, I almost blushed. Thank you so much, and yeah, they are meant to be a good team. Thanks once more.**

**lara-n-kurtis- Really? Oh well, I discover stuff quite late sometimes. Thank you for the wonderful review.**

**ChainOfMemories- Yeah, I wrote all this by 'keeping' the sad tune in my mind. I'm happy that it fitted in. Thanks a bunch.**

**Naoki07- I'm not that accomplished to make this a real book! But I'm very happy and encouraged by your review. Thanks!**

**AKKON- Give some time to your story too, my friend and PLEASE STOP clapping! This was not that good that this made your hands sore. I hope they get alright soon, I'm waiting! Thanks, really, you made my day.**

**Mog-everything- Point 1: Female specimen, I am not a dude! And I hope this is soon enough, no? Thanks.**

**The Odd Little Turtle- You can come out in the light now, there are no restrictions. Please review this as well.**

**untammed- Keep on lovin' the story, and please review too.**

**Without any further due:-**

* * *

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 8: Breather**

Exhausted, the two adventurers walked out toward the huge metal gates of the Strahov, where television reporters, journalists, photographers and the most dreading people to Lara; police was standing. The cameras started clicking on furiously, as the flashes silhouetted against their faces, a beautiful but with a dark expression belonging to Lara, and a worried yet handsome face for Kurtis.

Unlike many other complexes, Strahov was something that was truly _big_. Even after the big explosion that eradicated the evil from the world, half of it remained undisturbed. Three police cars and an ambulance with a loud siren were parked along side of the left gate.

The police broke off the gates' lock, and a team of about seven men rushed inside the complex, paying no heed whatsoever to the partners. Behind them, an inspector dressed in a civilian disguise, or so they thought rushed in, ordering into the walkie-talkie he held in his right hand. A pistol for safety in a holster that matched Kurtis' completely.

"I won't run away now," the female adventurer breathed in Kurtis' ear.

Upon seeing them, the inspector whispered 'Over' into the device through which he was communicating, and turned towards them, as he hastily introduced.

"John Elliot, Lara Croft. As you can see, I was personally assigned for your case and the Monstrum killings' investigations. We suspected you, but now with this 'Strahov' being half blown, I guess I'll have to leave you, for now."

The inspector had large gray eyes, chestnut hair and a sharp chin. He owned a slightly brawny body, with broad shoulders. He was rather of short height; Lara stood one inch taller than he did. His expression was confused, but it was very clear that he was trying to remain calm in this situation.

"Please, go on," Lara insisted.

He complied by obeying. "I have ordered a warrant, so that you and your, uhh…, friend, can stay in a suitable place for the night, and not avoid us again. You can come along tomorrow to answer a few questions. It will be with you shortly. Excuse me," he quickly ended, then ran past them, barking orders to the gunmen in Czech.

The two adventurers simply shrugged and continued on their path. They exited through the open gates, relieved that they were leaving this hell of a place, forever.

"Lady Croft is it true that you were taken in by the North African tribes after-" a journalist inquired, but Lara sharply cut in:

"No comments."

"Lady Croft, did Werner Von Croy leave you to-" another began.

"No comments."

Kurtis was utterly shocked at what they were asking, and became even more surprised at Lara's response. What did von Croy do to her? Moreover, why do they think that North African tribes took her? Why would anyone want to take her in? She was a sensible woman, knowing what is good for her and what is bad; a fighter that could fight any type of force. In addition, most importantly, did these two questions have a connection of some sort? Kurtis was determined to have his answers, but later.

"Lady Croft, are you responsible for his death?" a feeble looking male journalist asked. Lara stopped dead in her tracks, letting the question sink deep into her. She turned with slow footsteps towards him, and Kurtis automatically knew that this meant trouble. He turned to find Lara walking towards him, with fists ready to strike. Being the _hero_ in the situation, he grabbed Lara from her waist, pulling her towards himself so that the employee could live longer. "LET GO OFF ME!" she yelled in his arms, as he slightly lifted her up. Lara kicked and screamed fruitlessly, trying to break away from his incredibly strong grip.

A groan of excitement rose from the crowd, and the proportion of the camera flashes increased immensely.

After she had calmed down, Kurtis let go off her. The weak journalist who was about to die by the hands of Lara, fainted. Lara turned, then bumped into a government official, who recognized her, and spoke with a bearable accent, "Lady Croft, I have the warrant Inspector Elliot told me to have printed out. Here it is," he said and gave a paper with Czech written all over it to Lara.

"Thank you," she answered as he went to look for Elliot himself. More journalists walked towards them.

"Lady Croft, another colleague, after von Croy?"

"Ye-es," Lara answered slowly in the microphone he held.

"Mister, uhh-" a female journalist began, drawing attention towards Kurtis.

"Kurtis Trent," he answered quietly.

"Yes, Ms. Croft is your-"

"A colleague; a friend."

Kurtis moved close to Lara and whispered in her ear, "Follow me."

Without any questions, Lara obeyed as he turned into a corner of a concrete wall. "Run!" he urgently whispered, as Lara sprinted on full speed, and escaped her life's most humiliating moments. She turned another corner and saw Kurtis bike, covered in a white blanket of snow, parked in the alley.

She decided to wait, knowing that he will not take long. A strong gust of wind blew hard, and cut through on Lara's bare arms and legs like sharp knives. Lara rubbed her gloved hands on her arms, then bent down and unfolded her shorts, so that they became pants once more. She had rolled them up because the temperature in the greenhouse was far too high to wear baggy army pants.

Running silently, Kurtis turned a corner as he lost the journalists and saw Lara unfolding her pants. Winds blew on, and Lara just shivered with her back facing Kurtis and as a plain sign of concern, he took off his blue T-shirt, and then followed by his white long-sleeved one. He could hardly bear the cold himself, but he was quite used to these things, in the Foreign Legion he _had_ been in for five years.

He put on his blue shirt, and walked up behind Lara, whispering in her ear, "Here wear this. At least you'll be warm." Lara was taken off guard at this moment, and she whirled around to meet Kurtis. She gratefully accepted what he offered, with an audible "Thank you," and put on his shirt, being surprised on the whole how big it was in size, as it hung to her thighs.

He mounted his bike and Lara sat on the back without any hesitation, as he revved up his engine to life and drove away. Lara leaned on against him, but he did not mind at all, after all she too had to go through all that he had before. He concentrated on the road before him and continued.

* * *

"Lara, wake up. We're there," Kurtis said to Lara behind his shoulder. She stirred, then muttered, "Wha-"

"We're there," Kurtis repeated.

"A-right," she whispered back, as she began to realize her surroundings; perched on the back of Kurtis' freeway chopper. She sniffed his scent, deeply enough. _'Calvin Klein! Why did I not smell it before?'_ she mentally asked herself, followed by a slap that shook her out of the flirtatious mood she might have gotten in.

"What's the time?" she asked him.

"Its 3AM," he answered.

"Oh," she answered back. She was completely exhausted, and felt a bit faint too, but her brown eyes popped open when she saw how quickly they were nearing a huge five-star hotel. "Kurtis, do you think it would be right to stay _there_?" she asked him, anxiously.

"I'm not wanted for anything, and you have the warrant, then what's the problem?" he answered with a question.

"No, but I don't know why, I don't like it," she replied honestly, "and besides, I haven't got any money with me! Not to stay over there at least."

"Leave it to me. And trust me, nothing's gonna happen," he skit their source of transportation to the side, and got off and walked towards the hotel, confident. The guard standing outside recognized Lara immediately, and wavered his pistol on her, until she showed him the warrant. He nodded critically, but gave in and phoned the receptionist with an announcement, of her warrant.

Kurtis showed his weapons license to him, and made him believe the wrong truth that Lara had his guns. Again, he seemed quite critical about it but stuffed himself without saying anything.

As they entered, all the other people there turned their heads to see Lara and Kurtis, and began whispering to themselves or some other person in a number of languages. Lara ignored it, but then again she felt soft warmness in her cheeks. They walked toward the receptionist, and she raised her head to see the two of them nearing. "I just announced your arrival, and the, ahem, warrant?" she asked when her pale blue eyes met Lara's figure. She showed it to her, and after studying it about four times, returned it. "I suppose, what would you like?" she asked Kurtis, ignoring Lara completely. The receptionist had blonde hair, tied in a tight bun and somewhat smart body, with a pretty face. "We'd like two individual rooms, please," Kurtis began, ignoring her amorous stares. She checked her register, and then confirmed:

"Because of the extreme cold weather, we have only one room left, sir. Double bedded."

"We'll have that," he said. Whilst he filled out a form and received the card, Lara walked and hovered near the fire. "C'mon," he said to her and climbed on the lift, with peace at last. 'Room no. 919' Kurtis mentally informed himself, as he got a bit surprised that there was no attendant in the lift. He thanked God for it, and loudly sighed when the lift's doors closed. Lara's vision hazed incredibly, and due to that, she could not see even when she squinted her eyes. Her head throbbed badly, and she felt even bone of her body being squished under her flesh.

When they reached the ninth floor, Lara felt her world turning round, and soon she passed out and thumped to the floor, just with one soft 'oh'. Kurtis almost groaned, as he gathered Lara's lithe body in his arms and carried her to their room.

When he reached their room, 919, he swiped the card and entered, putting it on a stand so that the lights were on. He entered into a cream-colored room, with three stairs down, two beds with white sheets and maroon blankets lay looking irresistible to a completely exhausted person, like only Kurtis. A fire cackled merrily, and an armchair lay in front of it. Kurtis put Lara's body on the bed nearest to him, and opened a wardrobe to find two white bathrobes and ahh...

He pulled out warm fuzzy white pajamas from a corner. There was also its companion there, in a light blue color. 'Perfect' he thought. He then, mentally decided that he would stitch up Lara's wound, put her in these pajamas, and then treat himself with a nice hot bath. He will later order room service.

He moved the armchair to a side, put some soft cushions for his friend and carried her fragile-looking body near the fire. He took out a medi-kit he had saved, then turning her body sideways, he began working with sprit and the small set of surgical instruments. In the Legion, he had been taught how to take care of wounds such as this.

After a period, he _put_ Lara in the pajamas, without even taking off her tank top and army pants. He carried her to her bed, and laid her down once more on soft sheets. After stirring slightly, the tomb raider dozed off.

Kurtis sat in nice, hot water for some time. After wearing his clothes, he felt just too tired to order food despite the fact how hungry he was. He just took out a Snickers bar from the small refrigerator near the wardrobe, after eating it fell into a breather he, and Lara as well, strongly needed.

* * *

**Please don't forget to review!**


	10. Blizzard

Well, I am back again, with another update. Sorry for the delay, completely ran out of ideas. Even now, I am running low; as I find myself reciting the storyline or some specific dialogues I will be putting in ROD's sequel.

I really enjoyed writing this chapter (despite my shitty ideas) as finally, Lara and Kurtis had something to do apart from running.

I have personally sent messages to signed reviewers, but for the anonymous ones, a big THANK YOU! Please keep on reviewing!

Enjoy, and do lend me some ideas, PLEASE!

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Ending

Chapter 9: Blizzard

_A cold hand slipped past Lara's warm one, as the raider gasped in a state of shock. She was in the Vault of trophies, and was changing her clothes, from the wetsuit to her normal attire. She was all done, except her belt she was just fastening when this cold hand came just out of nowhere. The second hand followed after first hand from the other side of her waist and ever so softly, Kurtis' face came to rest on Lara's shoulder, his lips brushing the back of her neck. Lara closed her eyes, and leaned against him, now knowing who the intruder was. _

As pale sunlight pierced in through crimson curtains, Lady Croft lay cuddled in her bed. Now instead of being unconscious, she was now rather sleeping peacefully. On the other hand, her comrade had likewise, started and was progressing impressively in his snoring exercise.

_When he had buckled her belt, he twisted her into his arms, as his hands on her back pulled her closer, while Lara's hands in Kurtis hair pulled him closer. She locked herself in his azure pools, and neither of them felt how terribly close they were. How close their lips were. 'Three, two, one-'_

THUMP!

A groan erupted from the covers, as Lara now lay on the marble floor. Kurtis popped open one eye, then closed it again and continued snoring. Grunting, the brunette hoisted herself up, pulled off the covers and stretched herself, yawning. "Time?" she muttered to herself, and glancing at the alarm on the side table, found out it was 11 AM.

She rubbed her bottom as she rose up, muscles coming to a use after a somewhat proper rest. Stretching herself, she sighed and walked towards the bathroom.

She saw her reflection in the mirror. 'I miss me' she thought to herself. Dark circles fell around her beautiful hazel eyes, and the faded eyeliner still looked as if it had its effect. Small nose, full dull pink lips, white skin, perfectly brown hair that she had cut herself.

She washed her face, and then as a little water fell on her clothes, she realized that she was wearing a night suit. "What the-"she muttered, then as her memory rushed back in from a dreamy state, she lost her temper completely.

Rushing out of the bathroom, with her angelic face dripping with water, she made her way towards Kurtis' bed. She shook hard until he opened his left eye to see the commotion.

Lara.

"Wha- now?" he asked in an aloof, hoarse voice.

"THIS!" she bellowed as she held up the shirt.

Kurtis had to squint to see what Lara was holding: Ahh… the night suit shirt.

"Yeah, so?" he asked casually.

"SO!" she roared. Kurtis blinked innocently. She released a sigh, but she was not through yet. "You undressed me?" she questioned gravely.

"Course not," he said with a simple amused expression. "I put it on top of your usual outfit. Check if you don't believe me," he challenged.

Lara glanced inside the shirt, and saw her black tank top. She turned her head away, embarrassed.

"Yeah! And it's okay!" he called out as he fell back into the soft pillows.

"You read my m-"Lara began only to be interrupted by him:

"Some things are visible on the face!"

She returned to the bathroom and prepared herself for a long relaxing bath.

A knock on the door interrupted her when she was turning on the taps, naked.

"What!" she called out, tensed.

"Can I have a moment alone? It's urgent!" he bellowed.

"Shit!" she muttered to herself as she looked around for something.

Aha! She found it: A bathrobe. She released a sigh of relief as she wore it, kicking her pants and tank top to one corner.

She unlocked the door and he entered with a rush she had never seen before. She walked out and he locked the door.

He emerged after five minutes, all dressed up (he had taken his clothes with him). Placing his wallet in his back pocket and told her, "I'll be getting clothes for us."

Lara nodded and he called from the doorway, "13B pants, 11A shirt and extra large-"

Lara roared at him and he shuffled away.

After a long hot bath, that washed away all confused moments, dirt and memories, Lara dried her body and a knock interrupted her.

"Your clothes, Croft," Kurtis said through the wood.

"Just a sec," she said whilst she tied the towel rope.

For what Kurtis handed me was a black bag. After opening it, Lara gasped at what she saw. 'Man, he does have a good fashion sense' she realized.

Brown pants, a white tank top and a brown long coat to cover it all up. As an additional accessory, a black woolen scarf.

All dressed up, her hair dried and set in a simple braid, she walked out and saw Kurtis in blue jeans, a black T-shirt over a white long sleeved one and a brown jacket lying on the bed. He dusted the snow off his hair.

"What took you so long?" Lara asked.

He pointed towards the window, "You really don't wanna know how I _walked_ to the clothing store," he returned earnestly.

She was greeted with a surprise when she walked over to it; nothing but snow.\

"A blizzard!" he completed for her.


	11. Meeting

**It's been a very long time, I know, but there were many things on my mind: before these summer vacations, us interior designers are very busy, as almost every one plans on renovating their houses in the long summer days. Then there was Legend and Mission Impossible 3… who can resist them? Lolzzz… Anyway, here is my update! In addition to that, I have begun editing RoD. There are gonna be some huge changes, so please go over it once it's done, which'll be in about 2 days. Then I'll post the sequel: "The Eye of Mummy." A big general thank you to ALL reviewers! Please keep on reading and reviewing, it means a lot to me. Enjoy!**

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider

Ending

Chapter 10: Meeting

Lara suddenly lit up. "Then this means that Elliot won't be giving us a visit!" she exclaimed as her hazel orbs met with Kurtis' azure pools, who at that time was inspecting a brochure he took from the store. "Concert," he muttered to himself, as he read the Czech text. His jaw dropped at the title in front of him. "Evanescence!" he gasped.

"Wha-" Lara began when she heard him.

"Oh nothing. Just… nothing," he said as his voice trailed off and he took out his cell phone and went into a corner. He dialed the number for reservations.

"Hello?" the masculine voice on the other end inquired.

"Yes… uh… Firework productions?"

"Yes."

"Yeah, I'd like to reserve two seats for the Evanescence concert," Kurtis whispered.

"Prague?"

"Uhh… Is Paris available?"

"I'll check," and the voice shifted to hold.

Moments later, it returned, "Lucky day! Front seats."

"I'll take them. Under the name Kurtis Trent."

"Both?"

"Yes, me Kurtis and a friend Trent."

"Okay, sir."

"Thanks," and he held up.

"Hmm… Me Kurtis and a friend Trent, eh?" Lara inquired, hiking an eyebrow.

"Well… Personal business," Kurtis replied, planning to give her a surprise. After what she said to him in Eckhardt's lab being like him, alone and all, he just wanted her to take a break. After all, who doesn't need one?

'Why are you doing this for her? She's not even a close friend,' His mind objected.

'Well, what's done is done,' a part snapped back.

'What has she ever done for you?'

'Letting me know that I am not the only one in this mess is enough' and with that, the battle of the 'good side' won.

He then realized that Lara had been calling him for sometime now. "Yes!" he exclaimed after snapping to reality.

"What were you thinking?" she asked, glad she had the whole of his attention.

"Oh, nothing," he answered, feeling rather down for a moment. "What'dya say before?" he asked innocently.

"That Elliot won't be able to pay us a visit today," she repeated.

"Well, I don't know about that," he admitted, and secretly hoped he would not. Reluctantly, he began talking in a sensitive subject, carefully choosing his words: "Lara, the reporters, last night, asked you something about being taken in by the North African tribes and Von Croy left you somewhere. What happened, I mean… What made them say that?"

Lara turned serious with an impassive expression on her face. She closed her eyes, as memories with feelings returned; pain, fear… and hope.

"_Give me your hand, child!"_

"_Good to see you too, Werner"_

"_Quick!" _

'No, no, no no no… I can't bear to remember it once more' she painfully thought to herself and turned her back upon Kurtis.

"Lara, you okay?" Kurtis inquired anxiously, as he gripped her shoulder strongly. He applied pressure just so that she would not feel the pain. Why did _he_ want to divide her pain? He just couldn't understand why nor did he want to know.

"Kurtis, I don't think I'm ready yet," she admitted to him, a slight quiver in her tone. Before he could open his mouth to apologize, she turned to him, her head bowed down. She raised it to meet his gaze. "I will tell you, but not now. You're the only one who I could trust with something. I am just… It's fresh and it still hurts. I hope you understand."

"I do Lara, and I won't ask this again till you don't feel like telling me your experience yourself on your own free will. Trust me," Kurtis reassured her.

"I do trust you, only you," she whispered in a deathly tone. Before they knew it, there was a knock on the door. Kurtis saw in through the peephole.

'_Talk of the devil and the devil is here' _he muttered in her mind sarcastically.

'_Elliot?'_ Lara returned.

'_Who else?' _ thought back Kurtis.

"Monsieur Trent, Mademoiselle Croft!" he called out, more of a question than a statement.

Kurtis opened the door. "Inspector Elliot!" Kurtis exclaimed cheerfully, "What a pleasant surprise!"

'_NOT'_ he angrily whispered in Lara's mind.

"Why thank you Monsieur Trent, and (ahem) Mademoiselle Croft?"

"Good afternoon, sir," Lara called as she entered the small gallery.

"Good afternoon," he rather snapped.

"Come in," Kurtis gestured toward the room with his hand. When Elliot entered, he stood behind the open door and made a horrible face on is back. Lara fought back an urge to laugh.

The inspector warmed himself in front of the fire. "I just came here to say that we found a few clues in the Strahov complex."

"Yes," Lara eagerly encouraged.

"We found out that the Strahov was a Mafia meeting point and some illegal activities had been going on in there for quite a sometime now," John explained, his gray eyes in a stony expression.

"Go on," Kurtis insisted, dead serious.

He nodded: "We were able to find unlicensed weapons and many sorts of mutants and deadly plants."

'_Boaz and Muller sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!'_ Kurtis mocked.

'_Yeah! Unfortunately, both are dead!'_ Lara replied.

"Then?" Lara asked, considering, and trying to look interested in Elliot's babbling.

"We found many dead bodies there. Here are the pictures of them," and he produced about a dozen photographs from his coat pocket and handed them to the partners. "Take your time."

They sat cuddled together as they viewed the photographs. Lara gasped at the first one, "Luddick!"

"A journalist from the 'Daily Prague'. And how did you know him?"

"He helped me get into the Strahov. Got me the low-level pass code," Lara automatically answered.

"And then you decided to kill him, right?"

"NO!" she angrily roared and snapped her head up to meet Elliot's amused gaze. She felt like killing him right there. "I saw someone kill him! I was up in the duct!"

"Just checking you, we knew you possibly didn't kill him. We got both yours and Trent's fingerprints from the metal gates. On Luddick's body, were no fingerprints, but yours on the duct. We were able to find out that at the time of Luddick's murder, you were up in the duct," he informed her, then added proudly, "We search every tiny detail. In addition, we know have a big doubt on you being the Monstrum, since you were up in the duct, you may not have killed him."

"I didn't, Lara replied coldly.

"The Monstrum sign was on the wall and since you were in the duct." Before Lara could sigh in relief, he said, "But you could have done it later as we found a cut on his left arm. Don't push your luck, Lady Croft. Everyone is a suspect, and you still remain our prime suspect. Nothing much has changed."

'_You did a good thing, Lara.'_

'_What did I do?'_

'_Not revealing Eckhardt. Could've raised suspicion.'_

'_D'you think I'm that stupid. Well, I'm not!' _

'_I never said you were. Anyway…'_

The next photograph belonged to Boaz's spider form, and then the pixie transformation. "We found bullet holes in both these creatures. I suppose-"

"Yeah, we killed 'em" Kurtis finished for him.

"And what _was_ this thing?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Kurtis shrugged innocently: "Dunno, we were just defending ourselves against it."

They proceeded then came uhh… the head of the nymph. Trying to keep a stony expression when he wanted to roll on the floor laughing, Kurtis glanced at the next picture. The Proto Nephilim, it's orange eyes still gazing at nothing.

'_Man, those Shards are deadly!'_

'_Was this the thing you killed whilst I planned how I'd butcher you when you'll return to the air lock after turning the power back on?' she panted as she said the whole thing in one breath._

'_The very same.'_

Next was the picture of Gunderson, slumped over the doorway lying wide open. He must be trying to see what all the commotion was when Lara and Kurtis had escaped through the hole in the wall. 'Poor guy' Lara thought to herself.

Eckhardt was up next, three holes for shards in his body. His head lying limply on his chest and legs wide open. Lara decided to lay out a drama. She covered her mouth with her hand as her mouth had formed an 'O' shape, and pointed at the picture with eyes popping out. "Lara, you okay?" Kurtis asked, not knowing of her act.

"He," she said in a deathly whisper. Elliot leaned in closer to listen to what she was saying.

"Yes, Lady Croft! Go on!" he encouraged, excited.

Lara gulped loudly enough. "He-"she began. "Killed Luddick!"

"WHAT!" Elliot screamed. The American officer could not believe her. Kurtis put his arm round her shoulders, slightly suspecting her behavior.

"'My paper will miss me if I don't report in,' he was saying," Lara whispered. "That big man in that picture," she said as she pointed towards the Swiss mercenary, "Gunderson brought him in and said 'Found him skulking around in the loading bay. Must have got a pass code.' This man, Eckhardt, he said to him, 'Close the door on your way Gunderson'."

"How'd you know about Eckhardt and Gunderson?" Elliot inquired. Kurtis panicked, yet managed to keep a brave face.

"I knew about Eckhardt from Werner von Croy. He was telling me that he had a client named Eckhardt and called him a psychopath. About Gunderson, Eckhardt just said that to him when he brought Luddick in."

"How'd you know that that specific man was Eckhardt?"

Lara breathed deeply in, and then continued: "Before giving me the pass code, Luddick showed me a picture. He thought that Louie Bouchard, the Parisian gang boss who I came to know off when I visited the Parisian Ghetto, and this Eckhardt were dossiers."

"Then?"

"Luddick said 'I have records on you Eckhardt! You can't hurt me.' Then Eckhardt replied 'I wish we had time to read them together. But it's too late and there are things – to be done.' Then he killed him. Electrocuted him."

Elliot nodded and said, "We would have to look further into the matter."

The last photograph was of Karel. Lara did not recognize him, she said.

"Alright. We have a lawyer for you: Maurice Sylvester. He'll meet you as soon as the snow stops. I have some more leads now. I will continue investigating. Thank you for your time. Goodbye," and he swiftly rose and left.

When the partners were sure that he had left, Lara stumbled to the ground with silent laughter. Kurtis closed the door and rushed towards the Lara had buried her head in her hands and was shaking uncontrollably.

He crouched beside her and grabbed her shoulders. "What's the matter with you!"

Lara threw back her head and laughed hard. Kurtis looked at her with a perplexed expression. Lara managed through deep pants and sudden outburst, "You should've seen the look you and Elliot had had! That little drama looked like as if it scared the living hell out of you!" and laughed as Kurtis shook his head, smiling and gave a little hug.

"Oh… It sure was funny!" Kurtis retorted admitting the fact. Then he too gave in and laughed aloud.

"Hey, you wanna grab up on some breakfast?" Lara asked, rubbing her stomach. "I'm famished!"

"Sure, c'mon! There's a restaurant downstairs."

**Hehehehe… you must have guessed by now, I'm a die-hard Evanescence fan. And I was referring to their concert in Paris whose recording was their album "Anywhere but Home". I don't know of those people who actually sponsored that particular event, so I created "Firework Productions" of my own. "Firework Productions" are meant to be fictitious. Any reference to this company in real life would be purely co-incidental. Please review this chappie! **


	12. Locked Up

**Okay, I'm back with another update. Now readers, buckle up, because I'm going to take you on a ride! Expect a chapter every week, at most. I have the whole of the sequel of ROD now settled, and ready to be typed in and posted. I have completed editing ROD. When I'll post the sequel, I'll tell about the changes mainly, so chill and enjoy!**

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 11: Locked up**

After having their brunch, the two colleagues discussed matters over some coffee. It apparently seemed that the authority now doubted Lara being the Monstrum, but then there was strong evidence that made them reach the conclusion. The only way to prove her innocent was to find even stronger evidence of her innocence. And, both of them admitted, was much more than difficult.

"So lemme get this straight," Kurtis began after scribbling down some points in his notebook. "The authorities suspect you being the Monstrum. The footage of you leaving Von Croy's apartment with blood on your hands-"

"I wiped them off!"

"Sorry," he muttered and cut something on the page then continued, "They taped you going to Mademoiselle Carvier's apartment… almost. Next we have your handprints from the passports you dropped off in Rennes' Pawnshop, and some more on his clothes. Then you are viewed in the Louvre, during the siege attack and," he faked a cough. Lara looked up from her cup and threw him an angry glare.

"Our brief encounter in the Louvre... (ahem) before the attack," his eyes glinted mischievously.

Lara managed to keep a straight face and said curtly: "Continue with the points."

"You wanted it badly!"

"Kurtis! Please… I'm in the middle of a huge mess, and you know that!" she blurted out, spoken truthfully.

"Okay, okay… But just, chill girl. Relax-"

"Relax! Trent, I've been followed around, shot at and blamed for things I've not done! My life, my reputation my everything is at stake and you're thinking of relaxing!" she asked angrily.

"I meant that you stop taking tension, 'cause it ain't gonna help us at all! You know I'm involved in this mess too. They may suspect me helping you about because I too was caught on tape in the Louvre," he calmly responded. The raider glared daggers at his calmness, yet somehow unwound with the concern in his deep blue eyes.

"It's the best for us to concentrate on this stuff and never think of us getting together, because it's not gonna happen," Lara answered smugly.

"Course, and I was just playin' with ya! Now, back to business. So we're caught on tape, escaping the Louvre. Your fingerprints again, this time on Bouchard's body. Taped when I trapped you in the air lock, plus when I returned…" He paused for a second, burying his face in his hands, then bringing it up to meet her steady gaze. "We're caught in this web deeper than you might think. I think there are enough points here now… Believe me, if I was the police, I'd suspect you for the Monstrum myself."

"I know…" Lara said with a sigh, and then whispered to herself, loud enough for Kurtis to hear. "What have I landed myself into?"

"Hey, don't worry. We are in this together; we'll both get out together. Your very presence comforted me back in the lab, as I thought that at least I was not alone in the whole vengeance thing. I'm just fulfilling this obligation." Upon seeing Lara's apologetic expression, he quickly added, "Not that I'm forced to do it and all, I just feel that you need someone right now, who knows what you've been through," he said softly, and patted her folded hands on the table.

"Excuse me." Both adventurers looked up to see the very same blonde receptionist present last night.

"Yes?" Lara answered her with a question.

"I just got a call from Inspector Elliot; he is expecting you to visit him in the police station. The snow is now cleared and there's a van waiting outside for you."

"Thanks," Kurtis muttered, and the twosome walked away from the restaurant. They sat in the van and were off.

After fifteen minutes, they were seated on a table with Elliot and an old man. He had olive green eyes, white hair and beard and was wrinkled as a prune. He wore a black coat and Lara immediately realized that this was her lawyer for this case: Maurice Sylvester.

After the introductions, Elliot said, "I expect to leave you both with Mr. Sylvester alone, to discuss the matters," and turned on his heel and left.

The threesome discussed their current position, occasionally re-hearing the fact that the lawyer had never lost a single case before.

"This is very, very difficult and a serious case, I take it," Sylvester continued in his deep voice.

"We know," Lara returned. Kurtis looked at the lawyer. "Would we win this case? I'm involved deeper in this than you think."

"But I don't know the whole story, if Ms. Croft would be kind enough to explain me the whole situation, before and after. How you met this young man and all, we'll be able to prove out if you're innocent or not," Maurice answered.

"I hope you have faith in your religion," Lara asked, before beginning her story.

"I am a true Christian."

"Excellent. Here is how it all began…"

Lara told the lawyer that she worked with Werner in Egypt, but in the middle of something, he left her wounded and almost dying. She managed to keep both the men out of "her being buried alive" part, Sylvester knew the whole story as he read it in the news, and knew this had nothing to do with the case. Kurtis on the other hand, believed the factual points of the whole incident. The raider told them about Werner's murder, how she was knocked out by Eckhardt and he finished him off. It was a matter of twenty minutes when she was done with her story, explaining everything, the Hall of Seasons and the Obscura Paintings and the Nephilim and all. The lawyer looked quite unsettled with the story.

"Are you sure about this, Ms. Croft?" he asked, anxiously.

"Yes, and I understand your anxiety. The Nephilim and all, the outside world is not going to believe this, so it's your job to prove me innocent," Lara paused. "Is it that bad?"

"You have no idea. The outside world is never going to believe all these Paintings and Vaults, I hardly do so myself, but gathering on what you have been through in your early experiences, the Dagger of Xian, Scion and the Infada Artifact and all, I have no choice. I will help you, and we will win this case. I-" Sylvester was cut off by a cough. John Elliot beamed from the doorway, and he entered the room.

"Well… anything else from the Strahov?" Kurtis asked him.

John looked at Kurtis, smiled maliciously and produced a pair of handcuffs. Lara's eyes popped open, and seemed dazed as they locked in her wrists, and threw her into solitary confinement. Soon, the metal cuffs were off, but Lady Lara Croft was behind bars.

"What the!" she began.

"Officer, why you locking her up!" Kurtis asked ferociously.

"Evidence, Mr. Trent. Look at the basic facts. She committed six murders and stole a car. We have eye witnesses who saw her leaving the crime scenes, we have found out who the Monstrum is and-"

"SHE IS NOT THE MONSTRUM!"

"Please calm down, Kurtis. I believe you both are emotionally involved-"

"We're not!" Kurtis returned, his words dripping with venom.

"Then why are you believing a killer?"

"Mr. Elliot," Kurtis began, his voice low and controlled, "Have you ever put yourself in her shoes then thought about it?"

"Yes, and if I was her, I wouldn't go about like a lunatic killing people and drawing symbols in blood."

"John, you don't know how we met. The Monstrum killed my father years ago, before he became a serial killer!"

'_Kurtis! Don't give yourself away like that!'_

'_Face it, Lara. I have no choice'._

"You can check my history, and you'll see that the 'Monstrum' had previously murdered my father, my mother, my uncle, all my cousins and even my sister. It was the same person before, why don't you understand!"

"Mr. Trent, stop blaming someone else for the deaths of your family members. I am truly sorry for you, but she has trapped you with her looks, and you're losing it," Elliot told him smoothly, such the manner that made Kurtis' blood boil, but he kept it to himself, and glared daggers at him.

"Besides, I have orders from the Head Commissioner," he said lightly, almost amusingly. "The first trial will be held this evening, I expect you to be there. It would be in about four hours. Meanwhile take care of yourself," and with this, John Elliot turned and exited, with Maurice following. The twosome were left alone.

Lara walked forward and grabbed the bars, not believing where she was. Kurtis placed a hand on the lock, looked to see if someone was watching them, and a click told them that it was now open.

'_No!' Lara whispered in his mind._

'_What no? Hurry up. We're gettin' the hell outta here.'_

'_Please, this all is being taped on camera. There is no way to escape'_

"Kurtis get me out of here," she said quietly to him, naturally everything being taped on camera. This was a dialogue, and also not a dialogue.

He used his telekinesis and the door locked back. He lifted his eyes to her meet hers. They held an expression of sorrow, regret and somewhat anxiety for the future.

"I will get you out from there. I swear on the Heavens I will. And I'd better start working now. Lara, calm down and don't worry," Kurtis turned and picked up his coat.

"Where are you going?"

"The Strahov. There must be something they would have overlooked," he stopped at the doorway. He turned and walked back to her cell, where she stood thanking the adventurer silently, finding in him the route to her salvation.

He grabbed her hand and put it within his, placing the other one on top of it and squeezing it as an act of concern. "If they do any harm to you, tell me immediately. You know how," he whispered and tapped his temple. Managing a small smile, he walked out, not glancing at the distressed raider behind the bars, confidant he will get her out, somehow…

**Muaahahahahhahaahahahha! Cliffhanger! Well, you'd better review me if you want me to continue, and I mean it! Next chapter… Kurtis' adventure in the Strahov and the hearing… though I'm warning you, there's gonna be a HUGE surprise by the end of it. Thanks for your time… Enjoy! (and list all the things you'll hit me with, meanwhile… :D)**


	13. The Trial

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 12: The Trial**

Kurtis hailed a cab and went back to his hotel. It was only a matter of minutes when he came out, with his chirugaii safely hanging by his side, trusty Boran X in the familiar shoulder holster and his knapsack in place, resting above his hip. He walked out of the hotel, vaulted over his bike and drove to the Strahov. He thanked himself for bringing the long coat with him; grateful of the warmth it offered his strong body while his face whipped with cold wind.

Sooner than he had expected, Kurtis arrived at the Strahov. He was not at all shocked to find the place crawling with police inspectors, forensic scientists and photographers. For a moment, he considered how he would get into the building; stealthily or openly, helping the police. He chose the second option, not wanting to get caught, guessing the complex being twice as heavily guarded than before… and getting into the Strahov in the first place was _not_ a piece of cake.

He approached the nearest officer with a big smile on his face. He had learned the basics of Czech when he was assigned for a mission there by the Agency, and now he was glad of it. One only thing the Agency had was that they taught the basics of foreign languages, so that once the mercenaries went under-cover of some native; they were never suspected from under their disguises.

"ahoj JÁ was divení se -li JÁ příliš pocínovat jít s kým tebe snf pomoci hledat člen určitý Strahov," he stated cheerfully. "-li tebe dát spropitné mne JÁ was člen určitý dělat si dobrý den z někoho s Lara Croft s polem." _Hi! I was wondering if I too can come along with you and help search the Strahov. If you remember me, I was the guy with Lara Croft._

"Ano , ano JÁ vŘdŘt tebe," the officer said gruffly. _Yeah, yeah I know you._

"Asi tolik moci Já?" he asked hopefully. _So, may I?_

"ne Přísný obchod , bohoslužba kádry ale!" the inspector barked. _No, strict business! Appointed personnel only!_

"Ach aby ne dříve humoristický zde , JÁ did jeden bezvadný činit of bádání a using má dotyk , JÁ mangan až k nález poutavý bydliště v člen určitý Strahov , jaký goes dále kde," Kurtis said flatly. _Oh, but before coming here I did a fair research and using contacts I managed to find interesting places at the Strahov... The happenings inside-_

"Jako by my chtěl bych domnívat se-" _As if we'll believe-_

"D'you vŘdŘt aby člen určitý brána jít s duchem času lev v člen určitý nakládání arkýř 3sg.préz.od have neviditelný laserový aby objevit chování? A is chránit do jeden nahý elektřina dohnat bitva? -li yoy barva ono you'd být stání mezi jeden bolestný blýskat se nádhera!" Kurtis said with a cocky smirk, and glared the inspector in such a way that his blood boiled. _D'you know that the gate with a lion in the loading bay has invisible lasers that detect presence? And is protected by naked electricity? If you touch it, ooh... You'd be standing in the middle of a painful lightning parade._

"Blížit se," he muttered and Kurtis stepped over the police tape and followed the inspector inside.

"D'you understand English, by the way?" Kurtis asked. "My Czech needs a little brushing up."

"I thought so," the inspector said amusingly. Angry, Kurtis telekinetically moved a small box of about ankle height quickly by the inspector's foot so he toppled over with a grunt. "Watch yourself," Kurtis said, hauling him to his feet, smirking. The officer grunted harshly and continued walking on.

It was not long when they came up to a small office, with walls covered with monitors and filing cabinets. About five people were in the room, all in front of separate cameras and wearing headphones. "They are checking all the tapes from yesterday evening. They have just found you breaking into the Strahov, and Ms. Croft using her low level pass to get in through. You both dodge cameras expertly," the officer commented.

Kurtis inwardly smiled when he saw (what one of the men was seeing), Lara going about stealthily behind a guard. She pulled him down on the floor, punched his head, and carried his unconscious body to a room. Returning to the hall, she tilted her head and blew up the camera. He turned to the officer. "Of what parts of the Strahov are they watching the camera tapes of?" he asked solemnly.

"Two for the separate portions of the loading bay, the greenhouse, control room and the asylum… Sanitarium as they call it."

"What else are you guys doing?"

"Come with me, I'll show you."

The inspector took Kurtis to the whole of Strahov on a tour. There were two portions of the complex. One had all the operations running in, and one was a training centre for the guards and servants who vowed to serve the Cabal. Every one of the 'students' had been taken into custody. Nothing of use was in the training centre of the Strahov; every corner had been searched last night but to no avail. The search was abandoned on that part.

The other one was the only hope for Kurtis. He asked the inspector to take him to the room where all the tapes are kept. The inspector took him to a small room, where boxes of tapes were stacked. There were a few filing cabinets too. Kurtis was left alone.

He began working on the box that had "Personal Meetings" written over it. It took him an hour to go over a few tapes. His blood boiled every time Eckhardt was on discussing with the Cabal. He had been discussed so many times, and it took him all he had to refrain from screaming with rage when Eckhardt called him "The bastard Lux Veritatis dogging his steps," and Gunderson commented, "Croft holding Trent captive with her battering eye-lashes. She must've known that my once best soldier is somewhat emotional when it comes to his lost family."

Kurtis felt numb. The words "lost family," echoed in his mind, as the pain of his parents' death returned. When the first time he held Autumn, his younger sister in his hands, was the last as Eckhardt finished Maria and Autumn off in front of him. He still remembered their screams, Maria screaming to take her instead of Kurtis and Autumn. Most of all Autumn's shrieks as the ruthless killer cut open the child's neck, someone who was hardly a month old…. ..

Tears rolled down as he recalled himself, only four years of age when he exuberantly held his sister up and had a picture taken: The only picture of the two siblings together. He searched wildly for his wallet, and after finding it, gazed at the picture he had stolen form his father when he was nineteen, upto twelve years ago; The same Kurtis at the age of four, with a pale face and big blue eyes, and a huge smile staring in the camera. Autumn had forest-green eyes, fair skin and blonde/brown hair. She was awake when they took the picture, and she was pouting in it.

After a few more moments, Kurtis turned the picture to another one. This one was of his parents, smiling. It was taken in India, when Konstantin first met Maria. "Dad, Mom… Autumn," he first quivered, but quickly regained composure, "I have avenged all your deaths, and now I'm gonna help Lara. I hope you're happy up there, all of you," he whispered, kissed the picture and put it back. He checked his watch, only two hours were left till the trial, and he still hadn't found anything to prove Lara innocent… or something at least to stall accusations put on her and throw some positive light on her case. It took him one more hour to finish all the tapes. He had found one tape, which was a little satisfying. It at least pointed all the murders over to Eckhardt, or seemed to.

Eckhardt, Karel, Muller and Gunderson were discussing plans. Boaz had been turned into a monster by then.

"_Muller, is she locked in properly? That's the second time she disobeyed me," Eckhardt said roughly._

"_Yes, Meister Eckhardt. She is sealed in strongly," answered Muller._

"_Good. Gunderson, Lara Croft and Kurtis Trent would be coming soon in this way. Have you made all the arrangements to capture them?"_

"_Yes I have, sir. My best men are on guard," Gunderson said quietly._

"_Funny! That seems a bit familiar!" Eckhardt said. "Oh yes! You said Kurtis Trent was your best soldier too when he was under you! Wasn't he!" Gunderson did not reply._

"_Joachim, my right-hand man. You are the only one who has not upset up till now. Tell me, what the case with Monstrum is? Was all the trace of Bouchard's murder destroyed?"_

"_I have taken care of it. Croft was trying to find something to make her way out, so her fingerprints are on his body. She's been blamed again, poor thing." Karel answered with evil satisfaction._

"_Another innocent blamed for one of my deeds…" Eckhardt laughed evilly._

"_Meister, finally, your Superior Deed would be finished! We would be immortal!" Muller said excitedly._

"_Yes, yes!" Eckhardt said rather gruffly as evil glinted in his eyes._

"_We had better get going."_

Kurtis put the tape in a paper bag lying near by and put in his coat's inner breast pocket. A thought struck him: Lara would be getting worried. He decided to reach her telepathically.

'_Lara?'_

'_Kurtis! Is that you, or is my mind playing another trick on me again?'_

'_No, it's me. Sorry, it took me some time to reach something to prove you innocent. It isn't something that big, but Karel is telling Eckhardt that you've been blamed for Bouchard's murder: your fingerprints on his body. That's the only tape justifying you.'_

'_Th-Thank you Kurtis… I don't know how I could ever repay you. Are you alright?'_

'_I'm okay, though I should be asking you that. Did they do any harm to you? And don't thank me yet! I'm telling you, the murder victims' families are extremely upset, and escaping this wouldn't be easy. This tape would only stall the case. Give us some more time to gather proof. But don't worry, I'll get you out.'_

'_Oh… but still they must be giving us a week or two to gather all the evidence. Anyway, thanks again for sparing me some time. That's something I owe you.'_

'_You don't. You did not answer me. Have they done any harm to you?'_

'_No, not yet. Elliot is staring at me as if he would barge in any moment and do things he'd regret later, big time. I wish I was out and I would knock his lights out, though for thinking that.'_

'_I wouldn't blame him. It's not his fault you're completely irresistible.'_

'_There's more to someone that just looks, Kurtis.'_

'_And I find that someone inside you attractive. I will be coming in soon. He tries **anything**, just-'_

'_I was trained with my hands and feet before I went up to firepower. I'll handle it. Come back quickly so he keeps his hand a little low, knowing he wouldn't want to mess around when you are here.'_

'_You want me to pretend that I'm your boyfriend! You may be attractive, woman, but don't count on me on to do that!'_

'_NO! Just, a telling him off that I'll be out and he'll be toast.'_

'_Right. Take care.'_

'_You too, stay warm.'_

Talking to Lara felt much better, but just before he exited the room, Kurtis decided to talk a look in the cabinets too. He found some files, and in one of them, he found something so shocking that his eyes seemed like they would drop out from their sockets any second.

"Oh-my-God…"

**Half an hour later**

Kurtis barged in through the police station, not caring how the bitterly cold winds disturbed the warmth of the office. He walked boldly towards Lara's cell, when the guard asked him about his destination, he only muttered "Croft".

He stood in front of Lara's cell, and tapped his foot impatiently as Elliot, angry that Kurtis was back, stood up and unlocked the cell door. "You have twenty minutes, then we take her to the court."

"Done," Lara said. They both were left alone again. Lara rushed up and hugged him as tightly as she could. "Thank you," she whispered into his strong shoulder. Kurtis kissed her head, and returned the hug as tightly.

They remained in their embrace a few moments, when Lara broke away. He held her shoulders and looked into her face. Lara looked at him, her naturally beautiful face looking so attractive that it would buckle other men's knees, but Kurtis was not like them. He felt Lara simply breath taking, and apart from the angelic face and goddess like body somehow had him drooling, but tough soul inside which was fighting, fighting for survival, fighting for justice, fighting for self respect. "You okay?" he asked gently.

Lara nodded, and gestured towards her bed. They sat down on it then Lara started saying something she thought she would share with no one before. "I seriously can't figure out if coming here was a good idea or not. To Paris."

"Why not?"

"Well… Werner and I weren't on the best of terms. We hadn't come to any resolution after Egypt, I'm not in the state to tell you what happened in there. But, whatever you may call it, von Croy ended up betraying me. Kurtis everybody just takes advantage of me. I worked with so many men before, but they were all in for my money. Nothing but money! They even had mercenaries in to kill me while they took away all I worked for, what my father left me. Werner did the same, but just to save his own life. If you're thinking that I'm saying all this just so you'd sympathize with me, no! I don't need anyone's pity! I'm just sharing all of this because you understand, or maybe that's what I think."

"I know I shouldn't pity someone like you. I know I would not want anyone to pity if I were in your position. And I can feel everything you mean, I've been used too, but please go on," said Kurtis in his deep voice.

"Of all the selfish people of the world, I saved everyone numerous times, yet still they just thought of me as the 'rich icon'. And now there's you…"

"Lara, don't think that I'm helping you and gaining your trust to betray you later. No." Kurtis said softly. "Eckhardt killed my family, Lara. How bad could it be? My… my sister wasn't even a month old when Eckhardt butchered her in front of me. I mean I was just four and… I can't talk about it now. But yes, I did work for Gunderson once. Yes, I did unknowingly help my enemy. Yes, I was a cold-blooded mercenary but my father's death was a wake-up call for me. I was Gunderson's best man; I was paid well enough and actually made some savings. I lost all that just to avenge my family. Now if someone who murdered my whole family isn't blamed for the murder, instead someone else is, I would rather help them. That is you. And apart from all that, we are so much alike. You know it well enough that we are the type of people who would fight for the driver's seat if given the chance. I really like that, I mean. I was a rough tough and a bit emotional guy from the start, so guns and fighting were all my favorite things, and I was considered like an alien for that. Now I feel like I'm not alone in that field too… kind of. That's why I'd never forget you, but let's concentrate on our present position for the moment," Kurtis ended his speech, and patted her hands. "Don't worry."

"Thank you for everything Kurtis. Now please, I'd like to get my head off this, if you don't mind. Let's talk about something else. Do you listen to music?" she asked, wanting to know more about him.

"Yeah. I like Rock music; I used to and even now, listen to Red Hot Chilli Peppers, and Nirvana. They are an old favorite, but nowadays I'm simply in love with Evanescence. The guard outside was listening to My Immortal on the radio." He chuckled lightly.

"Oh I love Evanescence too! I've bought their album Fallen. And I play My Immortal or Hello on the piano when I'm at home," Lara provided.

"I'd like to hear you sing," Kurtis said mischievously.

"I only play it, darling, I don't sing," Lara said with a fake seductive tone, going perfectly with his mischievous statement.

Kurtis laughed. "Anyway, which track you love the most? I love Going Under."

"I love Going Under! What a coincidence!"

"Everybody does, the vocalist Amy Lee says that "Going Under" is her favorite track too. What else?"

Their conversation continued for sometime, until Elliot came to take them to court. Kurtis planned to show the evidence he had found to Sylvester.

**At the court**

"Monsieur Sylvester!" Kurtis called as he rushed up the stairs to the lawyer. Lara meanwhile, had entered the confession box and awaited the hearing, after getting through the horrible nightmare the reporters and the cameras had put her through.

"Yes, Mr. Trent?" asked the lawyer.

"Kurtis. I have found something, at the Strahov. Come, I'll show you…"

"This is fantastic! I too, only had the points just to stall the case, but the opposition is Harper Jacobs, and the case is still near impossible, but the video will help us a lot!" Maurice stated happily.

"Yes, I hope this'll stall the case for some time. We really need it," Kurtis said, secretly wondering if he did the right thing by not giving the document he had found, or not. Personally, he thought to use it as a wild card, not that the situation at that time was less important. It would only be a matter of a few hours; either the jury would believe Lara to be slightly on the good side, or lifetime in prison, maybe even worse, a death sentence. He just felt something was going to go wrong.

Kurtis entered the courtroom, and gave an understanding smile to Lara, who looked shattered from the mere sight of her. She smiled back, somewhat contented with his arrival; she felt, I daresay, happy.

Kurtis took his seat directly behind Maurice. The trial began. "International Case, no. 45: The Monstrum Killings is now in order." Everyone present in the room stood up as the judge arrived, and sat down when he did so himself.

"Good evening, everyone. Lawyers please begin your case," the judge said. He was an old man in his mid-fifties.

"Your Honor," began Jacobs, a man in his mid-thirties, with blonde hair, electric blue eyes and a pale face. "Lady Lara Croft, the world's renowned archeologist adventurer, is now standing charged with six murders and blame for stealing a car. Now everyone would ask why she is blamed for all this, when she has saved the world numerous times. Revenge, my lord, revenge. Werner von Croy, her former mentor ended up… upsetting Ms. Croft here, and when he asked for her help a few weeks back, she planned a whole scheme. She would kill off Werner and go-"

"Objection my lord!" snapped Sylvester loudly and sharply.

"Objection sustained, please let Mr. Jacobs finish," said the judge calmly.

"Thank you my lord, as I was saying, Lady Croft planned to kill off Werner, in order to take her revenge and what about all those other murders? Well Mademoiselle Carvier found out she killed Werner, so she went on to kill the museum worker, and so on."

"Ms. Croft, would you like to say something?" asked the judge.

"I never killed Werner! I am not the Monstrum!" began Lara, after she had taken the oath, she believed in all religions, but followed none.

"May I ask a few questions, my lord?" asked Jacobs asked.

"Permission granted."

"Ms. Croft, did Werner von Croy teach you at some time? Were there any practical lessons?"

"Yes, Werner taught me when I was in high school, and I only went on one practical lesson with him," Lara replied quietly.

"Okay, Ms. Croft how old were you at that time, when you took the practical lesson?"

"Sixteen."

"And where did you go?"

"Angkor Wat, in Cambodia."

"Would you kindly tell us your experience?"

"Werner took me to a place called Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We had to walk for over two hours in the thick forest to reach there. It was a type of a tutorial. Werner just showed me all the traps, how they are hidden and how to approach a tomb there. We were actually searching for an artifact called the Iris, which is supposed to have mystical powers beyond human imagination. Then Werner challenged me to a race, to reach the Iris. I reached there first, and was able to translate from the plaque that the one who removes the Iris would have to face a terrible end. But he just hushed me, pulled a lever so that a small path was made, connecting to the floating platform that housed the Iris. When Werner took it, the temple began to fall down-"

"Was Werner the only one on the platform that had the artifact?"

"Yes, I decided to respect what the plaque had said and stayed behind. The outer layer of the floating platform rose from the lava underneath, and the path burned away. Werner tried to jump, but his leg got caught in the outer layer. He yelled for help, but the place was too far, no one could possibly do it. I couldn't think straight, I just said "I'm coming Werner," but the temple came down on us. I fled. I barely had time to blink an eye even when the temple was sealed. That is all."

"You see, your honor, Ms. Croft had been black within from the start! She had had some problem with him from the start. That is a-"

"Objection, my lord!"

"If I'd had some problem with Werner in the first place, why the hell would I go with him all alone to Cambodia!" Lara asked furiously.

"Because you simply wanted an opportunity to taste adventure."

"That does not justify you!"

"He's the one here to judge that!" barked Jacobs, pointing to the judge. "That is all."

"Yes Mr. Sylvester. Continue your case."

"You honor, first the opposition blamed my client for actually planning the murder. But sir, who would think like that when they're deep down in black depression? Secondly, sir my client had feelings for Werner, soft feelings. Maybe Ms. Croft would like to portray them herself?"

"Permission granted."

"Sir, I had been disowned by my family when I was twenty-one, because I wanted to go ahead and be an adventurer. I believed Werner to be like my second father, and he did say he forgave me back then, saying it was an "instinctive feature to save oneself". My aunt took me in then, Juliette Croft, and we were on excellent terms. If you do not believe me, you can call Jean Yves from Egypt, Father Patrick from Wimbledon, and my aunt's her former butler now under me, Winston Jeaves from Surrey. They were there at the time when Werner had said that."

"Who are these Jean Yves and Father Patrick?" asked the judge.

"Jean Yves was Werner's friend and one of my history professors in the university. Father Patrick was just a priest who visited my father's house quite frequently. I am very close to both of the men."

"My lord, coming back to the point, Ms. Croft has committed six murders. She murdered Werner, and to hide that, Mlle. Carvier's, to hide that, Daniel Rennes' and the list goes on. I would like to ask you a few things. You were there at the time of Werner's murder, weren't you?" began Jacobs, now bombarding his questions on Lara.

"Yes."

"Then how can you say you didn't murder him."

"I was talking to him, ready to turn and leave when someone pushed me very hard and I almost passed out."

"You mean you were unconscious? You didn't see who killed him?"

"I said 'almost'. My vision was blurred because of the pain in my head, I saw the person. It was Pieter van Eckhardt, he killed Werner."

"Lies, lies and yet more lies. Ms. Croft, don't you get tired of-"

"How are you so sure that I'm lying!" flared Lara. "Your Honor, I'm telling the truth! I would not like any more accusations, as if my present situation isn't bad enough!"

"Ms. Croft, please calm down. Mr. Jacobs, please do not upset Lady Croft this way, it is offensive."

"I'm sorry, my lord. Now I'd like to call upon Ms. Croft's recent boyfriend-"

"Partner!"

"Yes, yes," said Jacobs impatiently. "Mr. Kurtis Trent, to answer a few questions."

Kurtis got up from his seat and walked into the box, took the oath and awaited Jacobs with strong determination.

"Mr. Trent, how old are you now and state your date of birth."

"Thirty-one. June, twenty-sixth, 1972."

"Right. You were in the army, I believe?"

"Yes, I joined the Foreign Legion of France, in 1991 and left in 1996."

"And you received your French nationality-"

"During my time in the Legion, yes."

"Ok. Mr. Trent, kindly explain how you are related to Ms. Croft."

"Contrary to your belief, Mr. Jacobs, I saw Lara Croft in Paris three days ago, and met her yesterday. We were out for the same mission, we had the same goal so we decided to join in together and track down our enemies. I'm her partner-in-crime, you can say, nothing more."

"What was your goal? Who were your enemies?"

"Well, I was the one with the enemies. The whole of Cabal, contributed in having my father murdered. The case was closed, so the matter was dead to the authorities. Somehow, I had woken up from my ignorance and soon was out to track down and kill Eckhardt, Pieter van Eckhardt in full. Lara was slowly getting on to finding the Monstrum, yet I knew who it was from the start. Eckhardt had been terrorizing the streets of Paris and Prague all along. Our goal was to destroy Eckhardt, me to avenge my father, and Lara to get revenge for Werner's death."

"Mr. Trent, what was the name of your late father?"

"Konstantin. Konstantin DeCombel."

"Konstantin DeCombel? Then how come is your name 'Trent'?"

"That's because I changed it. 'DeCombel' doesn't really suit 'Kurtis', and I never really liked it."

"When you left the Legion, you were about-"

"Twenty-four."

"Twenty-four, why didn't you settle down?"

"Objection! This is not relevant!" barked Maurice.

"Mr. Jacobs, please stay on the topic," the judge warned.

"Yes, your honor. Mr. Trent, you said you only met Lady Croft yesterday, then how come you knew her in Paris."

"The time was a little over 6 AM, I was sitting in a café reading the paper, when she arrived. That is the first time I saw her."

"And you didn't talk to her or anything?"

"No, I had too much on my mind already. But I was following her everywhere, reaching a place before her to see her reaction. I thought she was one of the Cabal, only realized that she was on the good side with me when I saw her have a painting the Cabal sought. If she was one of them, she'd have given it to them, but she kept it to herself.

"What painting?"

"An artifact, out of five, three were with the Cabal, and the fourth one Lara had. The fifth was not discovered at that time. Werner was researching these artifacts; Eckhardt gave him a commission to find these particular paintings. They aren't of any relevance in this case, believe me."

"And they don't seem to be too. Anyway, Kurtis, mind if I call you that?"

"No."

"Ok, Kurtis. Apart from the Mafia members, who presumably died from an unknown explosion and one being eaten alive, do you think Lara Croft committed those murders?"

"No. She's innocent, and I know it."

"Ok. Thank you Kurtis, you may please return to your seat."

Kurtis turned and left, wondering how plain information about him would be able to save Lara, or to kill her. He took a breath and sat down.

"That is all I have for the day, your honor. Please let Mr. Sylvester proceed."

Sylvester got up, inhaled a deep breath and began his case. "Your honor, Lara Croft is blamed for six murders, but has anyone actually seen Lady Croft cut open someone and use the blood to write things on the wall? No, so why so sure on her being the Monstrum?"

"Because-"

"Mr. Jacobs, it isn't your turn, please speak later."

"Your honor, I have with me Winston Jeaves, whom Lara Croft spoke of, here. I would like to call him for brief questioning."

Lara took in a breath, and it seemed that everything in her body had paused for a small moment, only her heart beat on, full and loud. Winston shuffled in the box, after taking the oath he looked up and held eye contact with her employee for the first time in several days. Tears welled up in Lara's eyes as she whispered, "I didn't do it, Winston. Believe me." She drank back her tears, afraid they will shatter her pride, just like they've shattered her reputation.

"Winston Jeaves, you've known Lara since-"

"Before birth."

"And you've been with her all along since?"

"We managed to keep a strong contact when she moved in with her aunt, but excluding that time, yes."

"What were her relations with Werner von Croy, before his death?"

"I cannot explain it. She was angry and sad. He had after all, betrayed her. She took it to the heart, and just said, "I wish to forget him, him and all his deeds." She did not plan to kill him; she was too caught up with her latest experience. It had horrible effects on her, she never closed her eyes in the night, for the fear of haunting and recurring nightmares, and she hardly ate anything. It was depression at full throttle. She completely forgot the outside world and retired from tomb raiding."

"So like Mr. Jacobs said, she didn't plan to kill Werner or anything?"

"No, like I said she was too caught up in her world. She wasn't weak or afraid, generally, but she felt like being haunted from every shadow. Like darkness would kill her altogether, and fear of death is purely natural. It was a hard time for her, she was drowned in sadness to think of anything like that."

"See your honor, Lady Croft had no hard feelings as such to kill Werner. Thank you, Mr. Winston. Now I would please like to call Kurtis Trent, once more."

Kurtis walked back into the box. "Mr. Trent, have you seen Lady Croft commit a Monstrum killing?"

"No."

"Have you seen Ms. Croft do some other crime?"

"No."

"Mr. Trent, did you know Ms. Croft's earlier expeditions? Any of them?"

"Not much, I've just seen it in on television, basically Lara walking away from the airport and not answering the journalists, else in the newspaper, I've read about the artifacts she has recovered, the places she's been to, but that's only it. I wasn't really interested in what she did, to be honest, I was lukewarm about it."

"Right. Thank you, Kurtis, you can go back now. Your Honor, now I'd like to call John Elliot, the inspector responsible for Lara Croft's case."

Elliot walked into the box and began answering the questions after swearing to tell the truth.

"Elliot, what do you think about Ms. Croft? Did she really kill her professor?"

"Yes, I believe she did. There is no proof that she didn't, so naturally. Besides, we have witnesses to-"

"I am very well aware of that, Mr. Elliot, you need not tell me about that!" said Maurice sharply. Elliot shut himself up instantly. The lawyer continued. "Tell me, John, if you, for a small moment, forget that Lara Croft is charged for six murders and for stealing a car, and think of it: Does she look like a killer to you, appearance can reflect the soul."

"Appearances can be deceiving."

"Come now, just try it for once."

Silence prevailed as John inspected Lara from head to toe with a critical eye. "I still see a murderer looming inside her."

"Mr. John, forget that fact for a moment, please."

Silence took over again, and John's face turned soft. After a few more moments, he spoke up: "She has saved all of us so many times, I can't say anything. She looks innocent, yet clever, she did save all of us more than five times, yet still she looks like a killer."

"That killer part is a psychological thing, Elliot, you did not forget for a moment about her accusations. Has she been trouble for the four hours she remained in prison?"

"She's been abusing me a lot."

"SIR! I need to say something!" screeched Lara from her corner, furious.

"Permission granted."

"Sir, I may not speak Czech properly, but I can get a few words. He kept on saying offensive things about my parents, such things that I'm even ashamed to speak it out loud, and your honor, I can take stuff about myself, but how dare he say things about my late father and mother!"

"Is it true Mr. Elliot!" asked the judge gruffly.

Elliot began to panic. "Well sir… I spoke for the victims' families. I-"

"Inspector John Elliot, kindly show some respect for a woman, and if she's in jail or not, she still remains one of England's richest landladies. This is a final warning to you, if I hear any more complains you would regret it."

"I apologize, Lara Croft," said Elliot quietly.

"Thank for you time, Elliot." Elliot went back. "Your Honor, now you have seen that Lara Croft hasn't done anything wrong. Elliot had done something wrong, and she snapped back in the same words. But Elliot was the one who did the bad thing first. Similarly, Lara Croft was just out to avenge her late professor. That is all."

"What about the video!" Kurtis whispered in Maurice's ear when he sat down.

"Now's not the time," whispered back.

"Have you any proof or witnesses to prove Ms. Croft guilty or innocent?"

"Yes your honor," began Jacobs, as he held up a plastic bag, containing her pistols. The very same ones that Kurtis had chucked out from her holster in the Louvre.

"These 9 mms have Ms. Croft's fingerprints on them, and we found them at the Louvre."

"Would you like to say something, Ms. Croft?"

"Yes. I agree those pistols are mine, but like Kurtis Trent said, we only talked to each other yesterday. He disarmed me at the Louvre the day before, not entirely sure if, I was on the good side or not. He disarmed me during the siege in the gallery."

The judge shuffled for a moment, then said. "Yes, the siege of the Louvre about two days back. I believe this fact, Lady Croft."

The hearing carried on, as Jacobo showed all the evidence the police had found, including her denim jacket, her backpack (with bite marks from the dogs in Paris) etc. and the witnesses giving their stories, finding Lara leaving a building. By the end of it, Maurice was shaking and sweating. Kurtis hacked into his mind to find himself so shocked that his own breathing paused.

"Before the court and jury members see the proof to prove Lady Lara Croft innocent, we'll take a lunch break, and assemble in an hour. The court is adjourned till after lunch."

Slowly everyone shuffled out, Kurtis immediately made some arrangements; he had an idea. Meanwhile, Lara, two female police officers and Winston were left alone. Lara begged the officers to meet Winston once, and soon they granted her the permission. Lara rushed towards Winston, and hugged the old man tight, as tears that she had held in her eyes for the past three days rolled out freely. He patted her back, and calmed her down. The only five minutes she had have to be with her butler; Lara told him that it was all a lie. She did steal the car to come here, but she had never committed those murders. Winston believed her, and the officers took her away.

Kurtis was sick to the stomach to what Maurice was going to do. He opened his cell phone and dialed in a number as he narrowed his eyes against the winter sunlight. Someone picked up the phone from the other line. "Hello?" said a masculine voice.

"Jake, how are you? Listen, I have something very important going on around here. A friend of mine needs help, send me those documents in less than an hour, got it?"

"Okay, Kurtis. Hope those papers will help your friend."

"They will. It's time I take things into my own hands," said Kurtis quietly as he planned his next move. He was going to surprise everybody.

**After lunch, in the court**

"Where is Mr. Maurice Sylvester?" asked the judge, losing his patience by every minute that was passing. A police officer came running into the court.

"Sir, I found this!" he said and handed an envelope to the judge. The judge read it a few times, before saying in the mic. "It appears that Mr. Sylvester has left the case, due to its weak base. Beforehand, no other lawyers we had contacted wished to take up a case like this."

Lara let tears fall from her eyes; she was going to die. Die again after Egypt, after so much blood and betrayal it would end.

"No," she whispered to herself as she fell down, and cried bitterly; how someone's ignorance can mean someone else's death. Kurtis had somehow revived her from within, pulled her out from the pit of dark depression. Pulled her into the light of the world, and made her see between all the blood and terror, could be trust: Trust that comes from within one's soul. That trust, whether it is from another being, or in your own power, could save one from falling into suffocating darkness. She had finally found that trust, it came from Kurtis. The only thing she wanted was to hold Kurtis' hand, just to know he was there, for her.

Lara believed that Kurtis was the only one who hadn't lost hope in her. Even at a time Winston had, but Kurtis outshone everyone. She was suffering from depression, and everybody knew it, but Kurtis was the only one who tried to pull her out. With the mysterious air he left, drawing her in and making her breathe into her addiction: raiding. She was going to leave all that… forever… …

"Ms. Croft, therefore, is found guilty for six murders, of Werner von Croy, Margot Carvier, Daniel Rennes, Louis Bouchard, Thomas Luddick and Richard Galistro, the cleaner and for stealing his SUV-"

Footsteps echoed in the empty halls as a tall man made his way to the courtroom, his presence required immediately. He held two files, hooking them with his left hand. Dark hair fell into his eyes and he shook them away. His black coat swirled with the bitterly cold wind. The sun had set, and the sky was a beautiful portrait of pinks, oranges and blues. Personally, he would love to stop and gaze at the relaxing picture, but as a wise father once told him, "Business before pleasure", he ignored it. He neared the courtroom, and heard the judge giving a final statement. He would need to move fast. He opened the double doors.

"Her punishment wouldn't be lenient. She would be han-"

"Excuse me, you honor!" echoed a deep, calm voice throughout the courtroom. The man walked along the aisle, as the journalists scribbled down quick details, and photographers took photos wildly. He covered his face lightly with the back of his hand. The man said to him when he reached near the confession box: "I would be taking Lara Croft's case."

"Are you a qualified lawyer?"

"Here are my papers," he said and gave the file to the judge.

Lara looked up to see whom the man was, ready to fight for her: Denim jeans, a black coat over a black T-shirt, a familiar American accent and messy dark hair going into piercing blue eyes. Then, it dawned on her.

"Kurtis!"


	14. Stalled

**I cannot BELIEVE HOW STUPID I WAS!!! I thought I had posted this chapter, and started working on the 14th one!! eek I'm so, so SOOO sorry guys :( I think I'm losing my mind...**

**A general thanks for those wonderful reviews, and private ones are sent :p Now please read, review and make my day:)**

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 13: Stalled**

"You may proceed, Mr. Trent," said the judge once he had studied the file. Lara still kept on gazing at him. Kurtis was not a lawyer; he was a mercenary, then how come…?

'_What are you doing?!'_

'_Saving your life.'_

"Your honor, this is preposterous! How come Mr. Trent can take up Lara Croft's case?" said Jacobs, annoyed.

"Jacobs, he has presented papers of him graduating in law from a university, and his past experiences in the courtroom, and I'm convinced. You may let Mr. Trent do the talking for now," said the judge coldly.

"Thank you, my lord," said Kurtis, nodding his thanks. "My client, Lara Croft has been charged for six murders and for stealing a car, right? As Sylvester said earlier, no one actually saw her commit the murders, only saw her leaving the crime scene. Your honor, today I myself went into the Strahov and found something that would make Lara appear in a different light. It's a video, taken from the conference room of the Strahov, where the Mafia are seen discussing their next moves, and framing Lara altogether for their crimes," He retrieved the paper bag from his coat, and gave the video to the judge, who played it in a VCR, present in the courtroom.

"_Joachim; my right-hand man. You are the only one who has not upset me up. Tell me, what the case with Monstrum is? Was all the trace of Bouchard's murder destroyed?"_

"_I have taken care of it. Croft was trying to find something to make her way out, so her fingerprints are on his body. She's been blamed again, poor thing."_

"_An innocent blamed for one of my deeds again…"_

The judge closed the television, having seen enough. Jacobs' eyes looked they'll pop out any second, and the jury (along with everybody else) looked softly at Lara, who stood with her head down, taking everything in silently.

"As you see," began Kurtis after a moment, "Lara Croft was gruesomely framed for their evil deeds. Eckhardt said "An innocent blamed for one of my deeds again," this clearly shows that Lara was simply at the wrong place in the wrong time. Beneath Vasiley's apartment, whilst trying to find her way out, she found Bouchard killed like all of the other Monstrum victims, whilst she only was trying to find her way out of the place. This is how she has been framed for all the killings, the victims being murdered about 10 seconds before she reached the crime scene. The blood is still fresh, so people think that she's the one who committed the crime."

"Do you have anything to say, Mr. Jacobs?" asked the judge.

"Not at the moment your honor."

"Proceed, Mr. Trent."

"Sir, I have another piece of evidence, that may shock you all." He produced a document from his coat's inner breast pocket. "Here," he said as he handed it over to the judge. "You may wanna read it out loud."

"It is an official document of the Cabal," began the judge.

'_What's that all about?'_

'_You'll see.'_

"To Mr. Richard Galistro, you hereby are officially the helper of the Cabal. For your first assignment, you are to destroy Ms. Lara Croft. As scheduled, she would be coming with Mr. Louis Bouchard to Rue Valise, where the late Werner von Croy lived. You are to dispose off Ms. Croft, and then return to Prague for your next task. We hope you would cooperate with us in order to boost up your wages. Signed, Pieter van Eckhardt!"

The crowd drew in a breath of horror, and yet more hearts softened for Lara. After some time, Lara spoke up, "Sir, I admit I stole the car, but I didn't kill the cleaner. For starters, he was wearing heavy bulletproof jackets, a cleaner from nowhere. He had set traps for me in von Croy's apartment. There were lasers attached to explosives, many at ankle height, so I could run through them, trigger off the explosives, and die. It was all carefully planned, but sir due to the heavy impact of a machine gun, he only slipped and fell down the stairs, and could have been unconscious or maybe dead, I didn't check. Even if he did die, it was plainly-"

"Self defence, your honor. Ms. Croft has spoken truthfully for herself," said Kurtis, now walking sideways with invincible confidence. "I think for the moment, these two pieces of evidence clearly prove Lara innocent, or maybe a bit on the good side. But in less than four hours to save a life, your honor, one can only find these small pieces of evidence, and that if one is lucky. I would go and find more proof, even if I have to go to Paris, but sir, little did the Mafia know, they still left important pieces of the puzzle behind. I would request you to give me a few days to gather more proof, in order to prove Croft innocent. Remember sir, this is the matter of a life, and talented people like Lara Croft, who have risked their necks to save you, me everybody, are not born again and again. Please take this into special consideration before you come to any conclusion at the end of this trial. Thank you."

With that, Kurtis sat down, and with a strong expression, looked towards Lara. Lara stood with her head down, leaning on her forearms and hands crossed staring blankly at the floor, awaiting the result.

"Do you have anything at all to say about this case, Mr. Jacobs?"

"No, sir. I'm speechless at the evidence presented."

"So are we." He scribbled something into a file for a short moment. The jury presented their opinions, and in a short ten minutes, the judge had made his decision. "Keeping all the evidence in mind, we have reached to this conclusion, that Ms. Croft did not murder Richard Galistro and Louis Bouchard, but we are given no proof as to prove Ms. Croft innocent for the other murders. Therefore, we give Mr. Trent by the end of next week, to gather more proof, from Paris and maybe other places if necessary. By that time, Ms. Croft would remain in the police's custody, and a final warning to John Elliot for abusing the Lara Croft's relatives. The court is adjourned till the end of next week; 22nd November, 2003; twelve days to be precise, and then we'll continue the case. Thank you."

Everybody filed out of the courtroom, and the police officers took hold of Lara again. Before they took her out, Kurtis whispered to her, "I'll meet you at the police station, take care." Lara gave him a small hug, and then was taken away. Kurtis sighed, with relief and tiredness. He was the left alone in the courtroom, letting the events sink in deep, the adrenaline rushing at top speed during the actual time prevented to make a memory of them. The door opened, flashing cameras and yet more idiotic questions reached his ears. He grabbed his stuff, and rushed out, protecting Lara once more.

"Ms. Croft, did you expect to see the next day?"

"Ms. Croft, tell us did your adventurer boyfriend plan this to happen?"

"Lady Croft, how does it feel being betrayed by Maurice Sylvester?"

"Lara Croft, what do you feel about Kurtis Tre-"

The police barked some Czech, but the reporters ignored them completely. "Leave her alone, will ya?" Kurtis snapped as he rushed forward and walked with Lara, side by side. Now he was the one who became the prime attraction.

"Kurtis, tell us are you really a lawyer?"

"Mr. Trent, please state your relation with Ms. Croft."

"Kurtis Trent, how did you get involved in this?"

Kurtis simply ignored everyone, covering Lara with his strong frame and along with the police, led Lara to the van, where she was taken away. He saw the TV reporters turning and saying the latest news to their respective channels, when he wore his over-coat, revved up the engine of his bike and sped off towards the police station.

**At the station**

Once again, Kurtis barged in through the doors of the police station; the guard drew his weapon turning away from the news on the radio on his arrival. He simply put his weapon down, and pretended that he never even existed. After all, he was the reason the police officer was disturbed when "My Immortal" had reached the climax earlier.

He turned and saw Elliot locking Lara in, but on his arrival, he simply jingled his keys, and leaned casually against a wall. Kurtis glared daggers at him. Elliot walked towards Kurtis. "So," he started, "a lawyer? I think not."

"Oh you want the truth? Fine, I'm not a lawyer," Kurtis said seriously. Lara felt like the very breath of her was knocked out, but Kurtis remained cool.

"Huh?" Elliot exclaimed.

"No, I'm no lawyer. But hey!" Kurtis faked, "It's your job to prove it, right? Go ahead, I'd love to see you try!"

Elliot rolled his eyes, unlocked Lara's cell door and allowed them fifteen minutes alone.

"You, a lawyer?" asked Lara, with a grin. Kurtis smirked, and she walked over and put her hand in his. "Thank you, for everything. I don't know how I could ever-"

"Shh…" said Kurtis lowly and put his finger on her lips. "Not yet." Lara turned crimson and turned away to hide it: she felt like giggling like a love-struck teenager.

"Lara, there's something you should know…" began Kurtis, with a sigh. Lara forgot her childish feelings and turned to him: dead serious.

"What?" she asked shocked; she did not like the sound of it, or the way he sat on her bed: like a defeated soldier, only she thought of the posture wrong.

"I'll leave for Paris the first thing in the morning," he said, looking up.

"Th-that's it? God, Kurtis you had me piped up about so many things. But don't go as yet."

"I have to! You know this is important – why shouldn't I?"

"There maybe something more in Prague…"

"Was anyone except for Luddick and Bouchard killed here? Vasil-"

"Vasiley!" Lara said with big eyes. "Kurtis, someone must've seen me in Paris or…" Lara stopped short.

"What?" Kurtis asked as surprised.

"Bouchard's chauffer," Lara whispered, and then looked at Kurtis. "Kurtis, you have to find Bouchard's chauffer, he's a witness!"

"What do you mean?" asked Kurtis, confused.

"I was brought about by Bouchard after that guard knocked us out in the alley outside the Louvre. You were gone and I picked up your Shard, told Bouchard that I need to go to von Croy's apartment, and during the ride, his chauffer must have heard him telling me about Vasiley's murder. Now how could I murder Vasiley and be with Bouchard at the same time? That's because-"

"Eckhardt finished off Mathias Vasiley before any of us, or Werner himself could reach him," Kurtis realized. "Brilliant! On the way out, I'll get the details of Vasiley's murder and a look at the post mortem report. Great, we have a lead! At least now you'd be innocent for three of the murders, and another good look at those tapes in the Strahov would hopefully reveal the killer of Luddick's death." Kurtis paused for some time.

"You were right, they did leave behind more proof than we thought," said Lara cheerfully. "Oh Kurtis I love you!" Lara joked and hugged him; excited at the thought of freedom quite close.

Kurtis took in a moment to let it sink all in. Lara Croft hugging him, tight enough to knock out his breath! For a moment, all the thoughts of murders and mysteries were forgotten and on his mind was a new thing: Did she mean it?

"You mean it?" he croaked, short of breath.

"No," Lara said as excitedly.

"I thought so," and Kurtis admitted to himself that he was actually disappointed. "Um… could you let me go before I suffocate to death?" he asked in small voice.

"Of course!" she said and let go. Silence hung over them, but they were happy in there own ways.

"Lara, I never expected us to be so casual and free around each other. Back in Eckhardt's lab we were just bickering about little stuff like children, now we're actually going along at something," said Kurtis with a knowing smile. "Still like children," he added.

"Maybe we had our differences back then," said Lara. Kurtis gave her a blank look.

"It was yesterday," he said plainly.

"And so it was," admitted Lara. "It's just that in… more than twenty four hours we really got to know each other a lot better."

"You used me as bait!" said Kurtis exasperatedly, "Twice!"

"And so I did, for the better of us."

"If you had lowered in the chum bucket I wouldn't have needed to swim around with that mutant!"

Lara looked bored. "When are you leaving for Paris again?"

Kurtis paused. "Ouch, that hurt, Croft."

"When are you leaving?"

"Now," Kurtis said and got up. Lara followed, and put a hand on his shoulder, "I'm sorry, I was just joking."

"Yeah I know, I'm the telepathic one you know," he stated with a smirk. "I'll leave for Paris tomorrow evening, and another trip to the Strahov in the morning. And hey, I almost forgot!" he said suddenly.

"What?"

"Come here, in a corner," said Kurtis in barely a whisper. He took Lara to a corner by hand, took out a small box and gave it to her: A personal pizza.

"You shouldn't have," she said, holding the warm box.

"No, I should. They say the food here tastes like plastic, you're gonna need it, for tonight at least," Kurtis turned and stood in the doorway of the cell. "I'll be back tomorrow morning, with hopefully more leads. Take care," he said and tapped his temple to remind her of their "telepathic conversations."

"You too," she said and gave him a sly smile.

* * *

"Yeah, uh… can I see all the details of Mathias Vasiley's murder?" asked Kurtis at the counter.

"A lawyer?"

"I'm doing Ms. Croft's case," he replied.

"Right," the guard walked over to a filing cabinet and handed a file to Kurtis through the slot, "Here you are, Mr. Trent."

"Thanks. Does this have the post mortem report?"

"Photocopied, yes, and a few of the last fax dealings with Mr. von Croy too," provided the guard.

"Thanks, thanks a lot, I'll be on the seat right here," said Kurtis and sat on the nearest one. He slowly read page over page of the file, inspecting it closely and making notes in his notebook. Everything seemed normal before his death, apart Werner's faxes some of those too were by his customers, Vasiley being a businessman.

The details of his death were extremely grotesque, and Kurtis felt sick to the stomach by just looking at him. On the post mortem report was the time written, approximately how many hours before did he die before they discovered him.

"21 15, hmm… Murdered at about 9:15 PM on November 6th … Interesting," he muttered as he made quick notes.

After another glance, he handed the file back. "I may need to see the file again if I found something else, just to let you know," he told the guard before leaving.

"If it would help saving an innocent, of course, friend," returned the guard.

This caught Kurtis Trent off guard. "Yes, I never suspected Ms. Croft at all, but why does my opinion matter? I'm just a rookie cop," said the guard with an understanding smile.

"It's surprising, really…-"

"I know."

"Well. Thanks again, later."

"Goodbye."


	15. Arthur Korneev

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 14: Arthur Korneev**

'_Adventure follows me everywhere... Demons follow my shadows everywhere'_ Kurtis sighed as he thought about his previous life, in the Legion, after Konstantin's death… He sighed deeply, and cleared his thoughts for a while, as the blazing scenery of the Czech Republic flashed by. _'That's the speed of life. Every single moment is wasted: never to be returned. Think of all that can happen in that moment, in one you are breathing, in the other deep under the ground.'_

He had visited the Strahov in the morning, but this time he had searched the interior of the rooms for evidence, he had found nothing yet. In the loading bay though, in the room where Luddick had died was a small compartment hidden behind one of the cupboards, but the forensics had taken it into custody immediately… Perhaps it was some sort of key or notes hidden there to unveil Eckhardt's, or perhaps Karel's ominous schemes.

The food trolley went by, and he refused to eat anything, suspense taking a better grip on him. He just sighed and turned back to the scenery. _'This is the speed of life.'_

Lara paced her cell. She felt like talking to Kurtis, but hesitated. She did not want this to grow more than friendship; pure, normal and a healthy friendship. _'He's risking his life for you, this is definitely more than 'friendship''_ Her conscience objected. Lara sighed and sat down on the bed. Another battle, another persecution, another pain… Tears almost welled up in her eyes, and she turned away to stop them from falling. "I'm killing myself, not anyone else, but my own mind… And I might as well let Kurtis know about it," she muttered to herself, but before she could stop herself, her mind sent a message, like a voice echoing in a dark room. _'Kurtis?'_

'_What?!'_

'_Uhh… How'd everything go?'_

'_Lara ... Umm, yeah I went to the Strahov in the morning. I actually helped the guys there, forensics, police, medical examiners to check out the place. In the Section A49 of the loading bay, where there are loads of harmful lasers and protected by an electrical force. Luddick was murdered there – and we found a hidden compartment in one of the closets.. So that's a lead. The forensics took that immediately after I found it.'_

'_Hmm… That's really good. You're heading now for Paris now?'_

'_Yeah, I'm in the train… Will be there in around 2 hours.'_

'_Right…'_

'_Croft, I couldn't sleep properly last night, and I have a lot of work to do to get to the chauffer. I think I'll take a small nap.'_

'_Of course… Don't let me keep you awake. Good luck Trent – heck! You make luck. Take care.'_

'_Bye.'_

As darkness started falling over the sky, Kurtis tried to catch up on sleep, but he could not…

"'Don't let me keep you awake," muttered Trent, quoting Lara. But her thoughts kept running in his mind, he couldn't rest his eyes for one second – he always saw her face. "Damn you, Croft," he whispered to himself, with a small smile tugging on his mouth.

* * *

After checking into a decent hotel, Kurtis took a taxi and rushed to the Parisian Ghetto. According to his notes, Lara had been cleared of three murders; Werner, Carvier, Rennes and Vasiley remained.

Since three of these murders were committed in Paris (and the fourth one eventually lead to Prague), there were a lot of chance to see if there were some clues left around to help Lara in the case – but being honest with himself, Kurtis realized in this short time that he really lived for adrenaline, not for law cases…

Lara had told him to break into Bouchard's Hideout that was probably where he could find out about the chauffer. She had also told him, telepathically of course, that she had busted in there through Francine, Pierre's ex. Now all he had to do was ask Pierre nicely to get him in contact with Bouchard… However, he was not so sure if he would do it easily.

Kurtis walked to Café Metro, where he first saw Lara. Nevertheless, this was not the time to recollect old memories; there was work to be done.

The place was empty as always, and of course, Pierre was alone bustling about with the telephone. Kurtis walked up to him.

"Hey, Pierre," he said, lightening a fag.

"Oh hello – You again!" exclaimed Pierre, surprised. "What can I get you?"

"Information, to be honest," replied Kurtis.

"What about? What's in it for me?" Pierre asked quickly in his defence.

"Take it easy, pal," Kurtis said lightly. "I want to visit Bouchard's hideout – some important business. And you are gonna tell me how."

"Oh of course!" said Pierre, Kurtis hiked an eyebrow. _'This is just… too easy…' _he thought..

"There's the door."

'_Knew it…'_ he thought silently. "Pierre, I can be very dangerous, but I'm doing this for someone you saved your ass and mine way too many times to count – Croft. The woman I was questioning about you, the other day," said Kurtis, trying to share the experience with the apparently ignorant bartender. "Czech police is holding her in their custody for something she didn't do. She has been cleared for Bouchard's murder, but still the court wants to see proof that she is not the Monstrum. I have no personal interest in this, Pierre, but I need to get to Bouchard's hideout to find clues. You've got to help me."

"I'm afraid I don't want to," replied Pierre, impudently.

"Hmm… So Francine's the name, eh?" Kurtis asked, now squishing the fag in an ashtray. "Where do I find her?"

"How did you - I'm not telling you-"

Kurtis clicked the safety off his Boran X and pointed it at Pierre's head. "Honestly, I have no intention to do that, but if I have to, then I wont have any hesitations, nor remorse," Kurtis cocked the gun.

Beads of perspiration appeared on Pierre's forehead. "Alright! Alright! I'm telling… Please don't hurt me, Francine and I are just getting together again! I really love her and –"

"Shh!" Kurtis said, now losing patience. "I came here to do work, not listen to the tales of your love life!" he aimed it straight for Pierre's head. "Call her now, tell her I'm coming. Then tell me her gate code. Nice and easy, no one gets hurt!"

"I uh… Of course," Pierre stammered as he grabbed the phone, and blubbered French into it – while Kurtis waited, gun still aimed for Pierre's head.

"She's uh… expecting you. Please don't hurt her-" he began.

"I told you, nothing personal. Business and loyalty… It's something you may not understand," said Kurtis with a proud smirk. "Code?"

"15328," said Pierre, wiping away his sweat. Kurtis took down his gun, saying cheerfully "Thank you!" and moving towards the door.

"And, oh, before I forget," he said, pausing at the door and turning around to find Pierre holding his cell phone.

_BANG!_ The cell phone turned to dust while Pierre gave a little yell.

_BANG!_ The telephone on the table exploded.

Kurtis blew away the smoke from his weapon, winked at Pierre and exited the café…

* * *

He dove into the water, hating himself for every moment the dirty water touched him or caressed his powerful body. _'I'm gonna settle for a nice, long shower – no! A bubble bath! Think bubbles Trent… Swimming away in the darkness of bubbles… Shit, even a kid wouldn't believe that!'_ Kurtis thought bitterly, and surfaced, climbing out of the water and entering a hospital-like area – with a stench strong enough to knock out an elephant. Kurtis held his breath, and quickly moved past a few empty hospital beds, turning a right into a hallway leading to a door with an orange fluorescent light.

Kurtis entered through the door that was unlocked. He entered a small room with a cheap TV-set, a sofa and a file cabinet. He immediately raided the cabinet, checking out files and papers concerning property, contracts, information on the Monstrum (which Kurtis ignored because there was no sense in learning something from a false chapter that was about to close). He went through different files and found what he was looking for: a file named "Fond des serviteurs" (Servants' background).

_'Lara? Lara you there?'_ he thought as he ferociously examined the file.

'_Huh? Wha… Oh, yeah Kurtis?'_ came a groggy reply.

_'Sleepin' eh? Sorry to disturb you, but can you remember what the chauffer looked like?'_

_'Yeah… The chauffer.. Hmm…Let's see. He was umm… French?'_

Kurtis started looking at the wall from the file, totally unamused.

_'Ok sorry. Humor, your thing. Right. He had olive green eyes, and an extremely thin and long face... Lean, and kinda weak. You know, without any muscles or anything. Brown hair, around six feet two inches.'_

_'Hmm… Could you remember if he had a lazy eye?'_

_'A… YEAH! Yeah, he had a lazy eye too! How could I forget that?'_

_'Found him. Arthur Korneev. Lives in a ghetto.'_

_'Wow. Cool. Go get him, tiger!'_

Kurtis put the file back, but for a second he paused, shocked. "Tiger?" he muttered to himself.

It was extremely seductive; he protected his mind and cut off the connection. He wondered if it was an invitation… 'Tiger? Good Lord…'

* * *

"Donc que vous dites êtes ce Arthur Korneev a transféré à Luxembourg?" (So what you're saying is that Arthur Korneev has moved to Luxembourg?) asked Kurtis, impatiently from a street hawker.

"Pas exactement... Il a une villa dans Luxembourg, mais il juste la vie de doesnt ici plus. Je pleurniche vous dis plus que cela.. Mon. ... Ma connaissance me limite." (Not exactly... He has a villa in Luxembourg, but he just doesnt live here anymore. I cant tell you more than that.. My... My knowledge limits me) replied the hawker with a casual shrug.

"Derecho. Gracias," (Right, thanks) replied Kurtis and walked away from the hawker.

Things were doing horribly. He had spent two hours asking for Arthur. He could not him anywhere! It was as if he had disappeared from the earth altogether! This information leading to Luxembourg was an improvement, but his money was limited and there was no way he could know what was going on in Luxembourg.

Angry, Kurtis walked into the nearest pub. The place was small, but not so overly crowded. Customers were sitting in different corners, sipping their beverages and the room carried a severe stench other than being full of smoke. Kurtis angrily stomped towards the bar and sat down on an empty seat, ordering a beer.

"It was shady business…" Kurtis heard someone from a table tell the story. He rolled his eyes, thinking it wasn't worth the time. He was wrong.

Shady, I tell you. I had never seen Louis so terrified. He jumped in the car and started barking his orders… Now obviously, the job of the driver is to obey, and that was exactly what I did… But Maurice, poor guy, was killed…"

Kurtis' eyes popped open wide, but he made no move and neither let his surprise show in body actions. He just listened carefully to everything that the possible Arthur was saying. He quickly finished his beer, and followed the ex-chauffer when he saw him leave the pub.

'_Lara?'_

'_Hmm…'_

'

* * *

Arthur woke up from his sleep with the knocking on the door of his hotel room. He got up, cursing and swearing at the intruder and groggily walked towards the door. The room was completely dark, except for the moonlight shining through the open windows, and soft breeze played with the curtains to the balcony.

"What?!" Arthur called out before opening the door. Muttering all sorts of obscene words, he opened the door to find the hallway empty. Perplexed, he glanced around but he could not see anyone. He closed the door, and wondered if the knock was an illusion or not.

Sighing with defeat, Arthur returned to his bed. He had only just sat down; when a quick shadow entered in throw the window and moved towards him. Arthur was petrified with fear as the face of the shadow slowly came into the light. The first thing he caught off the stranger was of deep cerulean eyes.

"Why, hello Arthur!" The stranger said in a lightly, sarcasm dripping from every syllable. The stranger wielded a gun.

"Let's have a small chat, shall we?"

* * *

WOW! This one took me a long time, but it's finally done:D The cogs in my brain have started working again, and hopefully you can expect quicker chapters! PLEASE let me know how this went:) Peace. 


	16. Voices

**Lara Croft: Tomb Raider**

**Ending**

**Chapter 15: Voices**

"Who are you?!" Arthur managed to spit out with fear. "What do you want from me?!"

Kurtis slowly walked towards him. In the moonlight he made out Arthur's features; they were exactly as Lara had described.

"I really don't want to hurt you," Kurtis replied lowly, "But I need your help."

Arthur seemed to ease a little. He let out a slow breath, and fiddled with his thumbs. Despite that, he was still tensed and beads of perspiration covered his forehead. A thick silence hung in between them. Kurtis stared at Arthur, understanding flickering with unspoken hope in his blue orbs. The silence had carried on until sometime.

"Do you want anything?" Arthur murmured, breaking the silence.

"Yes. A statement."

The chauffer was shocked at the reply. But then again, this stranger was pretty unpredictable. Breaking into a hotel room, armed with a gun, talking softly as if trying to make him realize something… Korneev merely sat on the bed like a sitting duck while Kurtis seated himself on a chair nearby, Boran X shining in the moonlight.

"A statement about what?" He asked, concerned.

"About Bouchard," Kurtis replied distantly. Almost instantly, Arthur fidgeted and looked the other way. Kurtis' eyes now became full of rage; after all, he did not need spoken words to be aware what the other person was thinking.

"I don-"

"DON'T joke around with me, Korneev!" Kurtis suddenly shouted, standing up and drawing the Boran, while his chirugaii hummed to life.

"What do-"

"I KNOW something! I want YOU to tell me with your own VOICE that it took place!" The Glaive circled near Arthur's head. "And yes," said Kurtis lowly. "It is as dangerous as it looks, if not more."

Arthur shook from head to toe under the thin sheets. He was sweating profusely now, in spite of the freezing temperature outside.

"Where were you at 8:45 PM, three days ago?" demanded Kurtis ruthlessly.

Arthur raised an eyebrow, and dug into his memories.

"Driving for my employer. Why?"

"Louis Bouchard, isn't he.."

"Yes, we were taking off from the Louvre, but what is this about?"

"I'll let you know soon. Who was with him?" asked Kurtis.

"A woman… Very beautiful, but not the kind Mr. Bouchard picks up off the streets to spend his nights. She seemed serious and business-like," replied Arthur with little hesitation.

"Do you know who she is?"

"No… Although I do find her a bit familiar," said Arthur calmly. "I wonder if she's a celebrity…"

"She is something like that… Ever heard of Lara Croft?" asked Kurtis, pacing the room.

Arthur muttered the name under his breath, then again tried to recall it. After a few moments, he finally recognized her. "Ah! I remember her!" He looked at Kurtis. "She was on the news a few times… She's a dare-devil type person, isn't she? But… Wasn't she wanted for the Monstrum?"

"Adventurer, yes. And again, yes she was… The Prague authorities have her. But, she's innocent," said Kurtis, making eye contact.

This seemed to anger Korneev. "Murdering... No, slaughtering people like that is now "innocent"?" he asked with rage.

"No. But people who risk their lives to save the whole humanity must be honored in any case… Damn it, she almost died whilst trying to save us all!"

"So what do you mean?!" responded Korneev. "She's not the Monstrum?!"

"Exactly, she isn't!" exclaimed Kurtis in a tired voice. "Listen. I'm a close friend of her," he lied, "and I'm defending her on this case. Fact is, at 8:45 Paris, Lara was with Bouchard. Now, Prague is half an hour ahead of us, then, at 9:15 Prague, the Monstrum struck. Now, how EXACTLY could Lara be with Bouchard and kill another person in a different city at the same time?"

Arthur looked down and thought about it. The stranger made sense. He was a witness to the fact that this adventurer was with Bouchard at the time of a Monstrum killing in Prague.

"You want a statement from me defending this adventurer woman with the little information I have?" asked Korneev.

"Her name is Lara, and yes, precisely," Kurtis said with a smug smile.

A small silence took over.

"You want me to come to the police station? Or Prague?" Asked the chauffer suddenly. "I'm not budging! Not in the least! They could throw me in for working for Bouchard, nope! Sorry mister, can't help you!"

Kurtis became angry, but he suppressed his feelings; he needed to negotiate.

"Nothing will happen to you. All I need is to record the statement that Lara was with you and Bouchard, and for you to tell the authorities that you're you and you're not bluffing," Kurtis said calmly, yet in an urgent tone.

"What if-"

"I can talk to the commissioner now for Christ's sake!" responded Kurtis, losing control. He took out his cell, flipped it open and scrolled through his contacts for the senior commissioner. When he found the number, he waited before dialing it, and looked at Korneev.

"I have a video camera with me. I just need to make a maximum two-minute film of you saying that you picked up Lara from outside the Louvre and at 8:45 she was with you and Bouchard, NOT in Prague engaged in murder. That is it!"

"Are.. Are you sure?" asked Arthur, in fear.

"Trust me. After that, just talk to the commissioner whilst I'm filming you, saying that you worked for Bouchard and how you saw Lara so-and-so. I can take a file with me which has your personal details to court, where the fact will be confirmed that you were Bouchard's employee. OK?"

"I… I trust you…" said Korneev slowly, fidgeting again. "When do we start?"

"Now," replied Kurtis with a sincere smile, as he fished out a small video camera from his pocket and flipped the screen. Since the lighting wasn't good at all, he switched on the lights, and saw Korneev smoothing out his clothes and combing his hair with his fingers.

Irritated, Kurtis asked: "What are you doing?"

"I gotta look good, now, don't I?" came the lazy return.

"No, you don't," Kurtis returned coldly. "Start."

* * *

"Hello? Chief Cornelius?" murmured Kurtis, smoking a cigarette whilst leaning against a stop sign.

"Yes, Mr. Trent?" came the reply over the cell.

"Are you satisfied with the statement? That guy did not want to come in court… I understand though," said Kurtis lightly, "He is justified for being scared out of his wits, he did work for Louis Bouchard."

"Yes, I am. Furthermore, the file of other employees' personal details and Mr. Arthur's entry will confirm everything."

"Sure, I'll have that. Thanks, take care," and with that, Kurtis ended the call and walked tiredly towards his small hotel.

It was around 3 AM. The streets were silent and almost haunted. Kurtis was passing through the same ghetto in which he was four days go, looking out for the suspect Ms. Croft and her relations with the Cabal.

He kicked a Pepsi can on the pavement aimlessly. Everything was quiet, deathly quiet. The shadows from the buildings seemed like demons to him. They were after him; they were trying to catch him.

'_Stop it! Damn it!'_ he thought hotly to himself. _'It's over! He's dead, father now rests in peace! I have no further obligation to fill towards him!'_

He passed through the closed gates of Le Serpent Rouge, the serpent painted bright red on the doors where Janice usually hung about. Janice _was_ standing there, with her back to Kurtis, and top almost falling off. There seemed to be a thick, manly figure behind her, crouching, and his dirty arms roamed around her body rapidly. Disgusted, Kurtis turned his gaze to the burnt down pawnshop ahead and quickened his pace.

'_To think I made her my fiancé,'_ he thought sickeningly as he walked down the deathly street towards the darkness of night.

'_Eckhardt passed by me when I entered the pawnshop,'_ he randomly recalled Lara saying this before being locked up. Just the very sound of Lara's voice made him smile, even if it was just inside his head. Then, it dawned on him.

'_Janice must have seen Lara enter and Eckhardt leave the pawnshop. That means…'_

His eyes shot open, and the revelation completely charged his mind. Lara could be released of Renne's murder! "Tomorrow, Janice..." he muttered to himself. "Damn, this trip just keeps getting better!" he added bitterly to himself.


End file.
